Bob Hunter STRICTLY PERSONAL WELL, at last! Some sanity seems to. be breaking through the smog of provincial poll- ics, While addressing a workshop meeting of the Climate Change Task Force in Vancouver, B.C., Environment Minister Moe Sihota acknowledged the importance of action to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions, Canada has to move quickly towards low or zero-emission vehi- cles, he said. So does the rest of the world, but if we don’t take a big step ourselves, we won't be doing our bit, and worse we'll be helping to slow down any momentum elsewhere. “If friendly persuasion and logic don’t work then government will have to utilize tools to bring about that change,” Sihota said. It's the kind of talk that drives free enterprisers crazy, but it’s the truth, because something has to be done, and fast. Sticking the knife right in, Sihota added: “Where the corporate will exists, the technology goes quickly off the drawing board and onto the - streets.” ~ It remains to be'seen, of course, whether the Climaté Change Task Force is going to come up with any serious recommendations, given the fact that Tory-appointed natural ~ fesources department bureaucrat Sue Kirby remains in charge, even though she’s on record as favoring a -free do-nothing, cosmetic approach, Sihota, thankfully, shows signs of understanding the implications of climate change. He noted that the Lower Mainland is especially vul- nerable to any increase in the levels of the oceans. And, already, we may be looking at the beginning of the end of the Pacific salmon industry. If it turns out that the main rea- son for the disappearance of mil- lions of salmon is a change in ocean temperature, such as has already occurred on the East Coast, with devastating impact on the cod, then we are truly screwed, because you can sign all the treaties and invent all the regulations you like, in the face of an actual biomass crash you won't be able to bring buck a single fish. Sihota says he’s convinced there's a market for zero-emission curs. : “You have to ask yourself; Why is it not available from those who traditionally make cars for us? I know you can sell them for a rea- sonable price but they are not being produced. “Instead, lawsuits abound in the USS. to fight their introductions ... It's hard to believe (electric cars would be too expensive) when you're talking about a vehicle with 200 moving parts as opposed to 2,000." Right on, Moe! Sihota has been a strong support- er of electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell technology for a long time, so it isn’t really that surprising to hear him talking this way. What counts js the hint that the Harcourt government might take some action to speed things up, even if Ottawa continues to drag its heels. Meanwhile, on the other side of the political spectrum, there was more good news, and this time a real surprise. It had not occurred to me that Liberal leader Gordon Campbell would be the first major political figure to come out and promise to kill the Kemano II pro- ‘AMBLESIDE TOYS & BOPP LOTS OF TRAINS FOR CHRISTMAS Mon.-Sat. 9:30am-5:30pm Sunday Noon apm FUTON BLOWOUT! Be FACT ony FUTON €atrance fa rear — Mon.-Sat. 11-6 pm Sunday 12-5 pm COMPARE Dbl. +397 $800 ladudes solid pine sofa becframe. triple foam core futon, Scotchquarded futon cover, pillows ond pillow covers. While quontities last. 959 €. Ist St., N.Van 984-4 & SON CUSTOM DRAPERIES, TRACKS AND VALANCES Labour $8.50 per panel unlined, s $9.50 lined. USTOM BEDSPREADS & BLINDS At low, low prices. For FREE Estimates call 987-2966 {Ask about Seniors’ Discounts) Serving the North Shore for 23 years | WHEREAS: | NOW THEREFORE: ject, thereby blazing a policy trail that both Otrawa and Victoria would do well to follow. But that’s what he did, and it has left a few pundits (but not Rafe Mair) shaking their heads. Businessmen complain that by coming out against Kemano before the hearing process is completed, Campbell is guilty of doing exactly what he criticized the NDP for doing when it created the Tatshenshini park without giving mining interests a chance to submit their proposals to an environmental review, Gee, are we talking here about political unfuirmess? How about the unfairness of the way Adcan used its backroom access to Brian Mulroney, Tom Siddon, Lucien Bouchard, Kim Campbeil, Jean Charest and John Crosbie to get federal downfield blocking at the Cabinct level to push through the final billion-dollar stage of its giant hydroelcctric project on the Nechako River? THE CORPORATION OF THE ira While an RCMP investigation in 1990 failed to come up with any hurd evidence of bribes, Sgt, Gordon White snid, “It was a political deci- sion by Mr, Siddon to give Alcan its flow regime.” meaning permission for an 87% cut in the Mow of the Nechako so the company could take electricity, despite warnings by Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) staff who stated flat- ly that the completion of the Kemano H project would “signal the end of the chinook salmon run in the Upper Nechako." As documents obtained under Access to Information legislation show, DFO scientist Dr. JH. Mundie was pressured to change his testimony in a court case against Alcan, and was dropped as a witness when he refused to make the requested changes. This was politi- cal fairess? And, finally, what was fair about Mulroney calling his weasels iast together on Oct. 12, 1990, to exempt Kemano II from the Environmental Assessinent and Review Process by Cabinet order, the only time such a imegaproject has been let off the hook completely. The Alcan deal has stunk to high heaven from day one, and that’s not just the smell of dead fish. For any- one to whine that Gordon Campbell is somehow being unfair at this stage to promise that if he becomes premier he'll axe Kemano I, a child of corruption at the highest levels, is ridiculous. And f don’t think, in this case, that allegations of a sinister Liberal plot to cover up deficiencies on other aspects of the party’s environ- mental policy are in order. The Kemano II deal was the sleaziest act of a moraily corrupt Tory regime. Most people under- stand this perfectly. Killing it off is just the proper, decent, correct thing to do. Period. So, right on, Gord! DISTRICT OF WEST VANCOUVER 750 - PROCLAMATION 17th STREET, WEST VANCOUVER, B.C. V7¥ 3T3 OFFICE OF THE MAYOR “UNITY IN DIVERSITY WEEK” 1994 November 06 to. 12 _ Members of the Baha’i Community of West Vancouver have brought to my attention the concept of “Unity in Diversity”, and "Unity in Diversity” is directed at building positive relations among all Canadians, to strengthen equality for all people and to promote the eradication of all forms of prejudice in Canada, and this means recognizing diversity in its broadest sense, including race, gender, age, class or culture, differences of ability or disability, education or economic position, and the Baha'is of West Vancouver are actively working towards these ideals and to help promote the concept of “Unity in Diversity” among all the people of. our community; I, Mark W. Sager, Mayor of The Corporation of the District of West Vancouver, do hereby proclaim 1994 November 06 to 12, as “Unity in Diversity Week” in West Vancouver, and encourage all citizens to take advantage of this time to engage in pursuits which increase understanding and mutual appreciation of not only the people of our immediate community, but also- those of the greater global one. 1994 October 20 (Date) & Bowen Island Community School - Collingwood School - Ridgeview School & West Vancouver Secondary Schoo! - Co-Pro - Cultural Services, West Vancouver Parks and Recreation - § # Family Services of the North Shore - North Shore Women’s Centre - West Vancouver Farnily Court / Youth & & Justice Committee - West Vancouver Parks and Recreation - Vancouver Food Bank - Caulfeild Elementary § y - North Shore Harvest. - Lions Gate Hospital - North Shore Continuing Education. : TD, Cr. Mayor M.W. Sager § The following schools and organizations support the notion of Unity in Diversity: - Sentinel Secondary School §