! ”* North (The North Shore News presents today the first instalment of an indepth series on North Shore mul- ticulturalism by News reporter Kate Zimmerman. Today's feature exam- ines the country-wide reaction to North Vancauver District’s deci- sion to reject most of the recom- mendations of its Multicultural Task Force. Next Sunday, the News looks at its own responsibility in representing the various cultures - attempting to live together peace- : fully on the North Shore. ) ' THE SPECTRE of racism is dogging: North- Vantduver’s national reputation since Nosth Vancouver. District council rejected most of the recom- mendations of its own North Shore Multicultural Task Force. ; By Kate zimmerman - = News Reporter. Canada’s national newspaper, The.Globe and Mail, reported in a front page story in March that Vancouver District, described as “Reform country,” was ‘the first municipality in Canada that - “refused to endorse the creed of ‘milticulturalism.” . North. Vancouver has developed ° a bad name for: intolerance, says avyer-Mobina Jaffer, an immigrant from. Uganda who ran for the. Liberal party in the last federal ~ election. - “After the Globe article, friends * ealled from across the country and: ‘said ‘Why .did you run (for . Parliament) in such-a bigoted place?’ ” Jaffer recalled. “And I.- _ said “It’s not true. The North Shore ~ is not bigoted.”.”.. “But she said it was shortsighted of district council to accept only three of the. task force’s;13 major ‘recommendations: “This council ‘has done more damage ‘to relations on the North Shore’ between differ- a ent peoples than they realize.” ““] think they underestimate the impact of not saying “yes” » Local ethnic mix THE DEMOGRAPHIC makeup of the North Shore is gradually ~ changing. The North Shore: Multicultural Task Force report offers the fol- lowing information in its Ethnic Profile. In North Vancouver District, 26% of current residents were born outside of Canada, most of them in European countries. The majority of new immi- grants are from non-European countries: According to the Landed Immigrant Database: System (LIDS) of the B.C. Ministry of Finance and Corporate Services, almost three-quarters of immi- _ grants to North Vancouver (City and District) in 1992 were from Asian countries, including Iran, Hong. Kong, China, Japan, CALLUS: - «| 983-2208 said... Harold Rosen, secretary of the North Shore Multicultural Socicly. What the rejection boils down to, said Jaffer, is, “They were not willing, to spend $18,000 on includ- ing us.” The suggestions made by the task force were no different from those already adopted by munici- palities across Canada, she said. “The municipalities don’t just fix our roads. They are the grass- roots leadership, and the srassroots leadership has played a very insen- sitive role.” District countillors spurn allega- tions of racism. “I don’t think we have a redneck * council at all,” said Coun, Janice Harris. She is one of five councillors who voted against most of the rec-: ommendations. Harris denounced the Globe's | ‘inflam-,” article as “offensive” and ‘ matory” in its efforts to link an apo- litical body like the district council - with the Reform party, which is generally seen as anti-immigration. “On the one hand you could say we ‘rejected’ the recommendations. On the other hand, you could say we decided to take a go-slow approach,” she said. “1 think we would have been criticized one way or another.”. Neither Harris nor her colleague, Coun, Pam Goldsmith-Jones, see this as a dead issue: “1 think this is the way to pre- pare the ground for greater accep- tance on everybody’s part for the changing demographic of the North Shore,” said Goldsmith-Jones. .. . “This is too much too soon,” she added, “but: maybe it won t be in a. oF istrict council ‘approved the . formation of the’ Multicultural Task Force in.1992,: Prompted by, a: 1991 -eross-burning. Coun. Ernie. Crist made’ the orig- inal motion to set up the task force. « He lias also been the most vocif- - €rous opponent of its.recommenda- -tions, which he claims will simply . add an unnecessary. level of bureau- “eracy to the municipality. “From Day‘One‘l have becn 66 ...almost three- quarters of immi- grants to North Vancouver in 1992 were from Asian countries... 99 Taiwan, the Philippines and ' Korea. Since 1990, Iranians have made up the largest group of immigrants to North Vancouver; between 1990 and 1992, Iran and Sr OF OTHER MUNICIPALITIES. Multicultural policy Advisory committee Service access Staff training Community education Employment equity Community leadership Translation of materials Language bank Universal signage Immigrant services — from the Report of the Multicultural Task Force: “Strength Throuijsh _ Diversity,” presented to North Vancouver District. "convinced that the best way to heip people in the community is to help them to help themselves,” said Crist. - He suggested that multicultural organizations and ethnic societies should take charge of helping new immigrants settle on the North ’ Shore, with council providing: grants to those agencies. The task force, which was made up of 15 people representing ethnic - communities, municipal agencies, district staff and the North Shore Multicultural Society, met monthly: for a year to decide on a practical course of action to address growing “multiculturalism on the North Shore. Individual members got together: with other organizations for input and the task force also heard from changes the Philippines supplied North Vancouver with most of its new immigrant-population. The proportion of distric! resi- dents whose mother tongue is - English is declining, from 87% in 1981 to 82% in 1991, Meanwhile, - the largest group of immigrants to the city and district — 36.5% — spoke Persian or Farsi as their native tongue, with the second largest — 15% ~- English speak- ers. Most other immigrants spoke Asian languages. According to the 1986 and 1991 censuses, over 40% of North Vancouver residents reported | more than one ethnic: origin,. reflecting mixed ancestry. Of those residents reporting a single ethnic origin in 1986, 82% were. of British or other European extraction. «7 INPROGRESS Sq MOBINA JAFFER’S friends phoned to ask hew she could live in such a bigoted Place as NVD. North: Shere Multicultural Society. president Katherine Curtis said her group was surprised and disappointed by council’s decision. She pointed out that one of the rejected recommendations was the establishment of: a muiticultural ‘policy which wouldn’t have cost the district anything. . Curtis and Rosen believe ‘ bureaucratic procedure got in the NEWS amen’ Robyn ena 24 participants in the public ccasul-” tation process. mo In addition to making 39 recom- ‘ mendations regarding actions coun-' cil might take, the task force sug-.. gested numerous agencies that. might be able to forge community . should have been- approved ... the partnerships to advance multicultur-: ‘perception in the naticnal. and alism, : +22 provincial press was rejection.” It also provided a detailed list of But the damage has been done. 10 pages of. potential’ funding According to Jaffer,. council’s sources, noting federal'and provin- | decision has made visible. minori- cial government programs, area- ‘ties ‘feel unwelcome i in:their own foundations and societies. _ neighborhoods. ws It made note of the actions other She points’ that her daughter, Lower Mainland raunicipalities had, : who was. born and ‘raised:in North taken to tackie the issue. : Vancouver, read ‘a’ column. about Only Mayor Murray Dykeman*: “the vote-in the North Shore News. voted to implement all 13 recom- The general tone; mendations, which would have cost | “Multiculturalism rejected.” $17,500; the recommendations | - “See, Mum?” she said council endorsed will cost $8,000. “not wanted here.” i easy sell to council: Task force member-at-large ; Alfredo; Sepulveda says the recom- ‘mendations were “harmless and . THE GOALS of the North Shore Multicultural Task Force ¥ were to fH investigate whether North Vancouver District services and activities are equally accessible to all residents regardless of ethnic origin. and, if néces- sary, to see how they might be improved; Wf recommend how council as a community leader can promote better understanding between different cultures in the community; » i recommend to council actions promoting the equal opportunity and par- ticipation of all citizens in district affairs. The task force selected 13 priority recommendations to be implemented “was: t “way of what should have been an 7 within the next year, with.the suggestion that the remaining initiatives be introduced over the next two or three years. i Among the proposals council turned down were: @ adopting a policy regarding multiculturalism; Bi providing municipal services in a culturally sensitive manner to all; [] employment equity; . The proposals council voted to accept include: @ working with ethnic communities to translate selected brodhures: ‘on municipal services;. * M establishing a community outreach program and providing multicultural groups with opportunities to meet with the district and local agencies ' ‘on issues of mutual interest; and BY adding the line “This is an important document: please have it translat- ed” to crucial municipal documents, which would then be translated into major North Shore languages. ; THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Should visitors and immigrants to Canada be s screened for HIV?