6 - Sunday, January 4, 1987 ~ North Shore News
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News Viewpoint

Poe Wray
Efastett biter

Vondd Gta

.

Spectator sport

Hf live TV coverage of B.C. Legislature ses-

sions, due to start later this year, improve

the quality of government or enhance the
image of politicians and our political system in the eves
of the public? Don't hold your breath! ;

To begin with, TV viewers won't be admitted to the
cabinet rogin or the caucus rooms where policies ace
initiated, discussed and developed behind closed doors.
By the Gime those policies come up for debate on the
floor of the House, they are already graven in stone as
far as the sponsoring party is concerned,

Unfortunately, the debates themselves, during which
much of the most positive work of the House is actu-
ally done, often make poor TV ovaterial, At any given
point only a small number of MEAs may be present,
droning on at infinite length over the fine detail of in-
volved subjects. The Legislature in’ its” shirtsleeves
mode is no Johnny Carson Show.

Exciting action is normally confined to the daily
question period, on = which—as in the Ottawa
Parliament—TV will presumably concentrate. In Vic-
toria this has, in the past, frequently descended to tae
social and intellectual level of a cockfiguting pit. The
watching cameras may hopefully encearage MLAs to
clean up their manners. But equally, they will en-
courage grandstanding, thereby still depriving the
viewer of the real truth behind many complex issues.

Question period in the Legislature will at least add to
our weekly TV fare a new spectator sport—one of
varying interest, sometimes amusing, occasionally
shocking. But that’s about the most that can be said
or it!

bet
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Content
Tiga
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Trattey ,

Noel Wright

CLOSE TO 1,000 guests have
enlivened these SUNDAY
BRUNCH columns during the 12
months that ended Wednesday
midnight.

They’ve come from all segments
of North Shore community life.
Achievers in every field and win-
ners of every kind of distinction.
The young, the old and hundreds
in between. Students, business
people, housewives, artists, writers
and musicians. The newly born
and newly wed, Golden Anniver-
sary couples and feisty
centenarians.

Volunteer workers and fun-
draisers for countless good causes.
Politicians, preachers and soldiers.
Movers and shakers. Ordinary folk
with extraordinary — and some-
times humorous — experiences to
share. Periodically, too, loved and
respected neighbors whose passing
we sadly mourn,

Between them, they make up the
rich fabric of life in North and
West Vancouver — where we're

© sunday brunch «

blessed with a superabundance of

interesting, dedicated, talented and
outstanding human beings match-
ed by few other communities.

At this turn of the year
BRUNCH. salutes them, one and
all, With no space today to fist
again their hundreds of names, the
few accompanying pictures may at
least. serve to remind us of the
r and scope of their 1986 ac-
tivities.

ae
CLOCKWISE, from the im-
mediate right: Viclors again in the
October provincial election, West
Van-Howe Sound MLA John
Reynolds and North Van-Seymour
MLA Jack Davis were named
Speaker of the Legislature and
Energy Minister respectively in the
new Vander Zalm— government
. North Van District firefighter
Steven Atkinson (shown with wife

Kathy) was awarded the Medal of

Bravery for saving a woman trap-
ped in a burning building
...Leading Canadian impressionist

LETTER OF THE DAY

Value of French immersion questioned

Dear Editor:

Like E.A. White in your Dec. 14
issue, | also feel it is time to
reassess the worth of French im-
mersion. This is not because I feel!
it is unnecessary for children to
learn French in Canada, because !
do. However, French immersion
may not be the best way to pro-
mote bilingualism either in educa-
tional, economic or sacial terms.

French immersion programs
split school populations so that ac-

commodating class sizes becomes a
severe problem. {1 can aso con-
tribute to the closing of
neighborhood schools as a result
of declining enrolment in English
programs.

In terms of educational and
economic value, French immersion
is quite costly. Statistics have

‘Shown that by graduation from

high school, the level of ability in
French is virtually the same
whether a child begins in

painter Daniel Izzard (right), fitter
than ever after becoming Canada’s
oldest heart transplant patient, war
welcomed home in April by West
Van Mayor Derrick Humphreys
«Madam North Shore Pageant,
sertie Todd (left, with ‘'Miss
Teen’ Allyson Phelan), crowned
her 35th Pageant in August with a
grand reunion ball ...[n) March,
North Shore Arts Council’s Joseph
Cantafio (right) received a cheque
from B.C. Tel’s Bob Chambers
making possible the completion of
the council’s metal sculpture in
Lonsdale Quay Waterfront Park
«Lynn Valley Lions and Mara-
thon Realty members gave Mayor

Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 4 or
Grade 7. This makes me wonder
why early immersion
(Kindergarten, Grade 1) or inter-
mediate immersion (Grade 4) pro-
grams are still being implemented
in a period of short educational
funds. It would seem that late im-
mersion (Grade 7) is the most sen-

; sible path for this program.

About five per cent of the
children in Canada are enrolled in
French immersion schools. Over 30

Marilyn Baker (centre) $2,000
cheques November towards the
sculpture of North Van pioneer
Walter Draycott in the new Pio-
neer Park ...Former Cap College
president Paul Gallagher of North
Van -- now president of Vancouver
Community College -- received the
Order of Canada in November for
his work as a top Canadian
educator ...West) Van philan-

per cent are enrolled in French as a
second language course. Yet the
focus of researchers and educators
seems to be in the area of French
immersion.. Maybe the majority
should start demanding some at-
tention.

Many other countries (China
and Japan among others) routinely
teach second and even third lan-
guages in their schools, Surely it is
time we concentrated on the ma-
jority of children whose parents

. Weer. {
thropist Agnes Watts, 96, donated
another $40,000 (‘‘I do it for the
children’’) to February's Variety
Club Telethon -- bringing her total
gifts to that charity since 1980 to a
cool half million.
—* *

WRIGHT OR WRONG: The fun-
ny thing about generosity is that
you get more than you give when
you give more than you get.

wish them to be educated in their
mother tongue, but who also wish
them to have some degree of flu-
ency in Canada’s other language.

Children learn what we expect
them to learn. Parents must be
aware that school boards realize
that they expect their children to
learn French, not necessarily in a
French immersion setting.

Margaret Kirkaldy
West Vancouver