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orth Shore News, founded in 1969 ai an.
aset qualified, |

t suburban

under Schedule 11f, Paregrsph 11: of the |

ise Tex Act, is published each Wednesday,

day and Sunday by North Shore Free Press

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-Entive contents.»
“© 1995 North Shore °
-, Free Press Ltd,
"al oe fesetved. .

“ths Johan

HE HEAD has been.severed but

the NDP’s body politic is still,

twitching.

Mike Harcourt’s decision to step
down as B.C.’s premier is the right one
“for the province and the right one for his
party.

iIts the kind of tough decision: he as
prenver should have? been making
throughout his term. Had he done so he
and the rest of B.C,-would tikely be in
_ far better uhape than they are today.

. Make no mistske: Mike Harcourt is .
‘ an affable: and likable person who has .

invested much of his time serving the

But as the leader of a socialist govern: -

ment that has run as far off the rails as
any government in B.C. history, he has
been soft, indecisive and foggy-headed.
The .. Nanaimo © Commonwealth
Holding Society charity bingo scandal is

merely the latest episode in a catalogue |

of governinent missteps. and bizarre

NDP legislative moves. that have set the ~

cause of provincial demecracy and free
speech back decades,

.Harcourt’s refusal to set NDP heads
to rolling in the wake of Bingogate and
the fog and fumbling that has surround-
ed. what the premier did and did jot

know about the whole sordid affair seri-

ously undermined the credibility of ‘the |
premier and his office, . 2°...
His choices in the matter had run n out. .
But the core of thé government. that
has contrived and enacted so much bad
legislation throughout the: NDP’s reig
remains. The premiei’s decision
them all some precious time:
February’s NDP leadership conven:
tion will be followed by ‘nionths: of pol:
ishing the successful candidate for: pub-
fic consumption... Which will, leave: the

. NDP socialists clinging to power in’ 'B. Cc.
until the bitter end of their term —

tingly. pathetic. end toa’ failed ‘govern

'

‘community in public office.

- bya disgraced New - Mee
“Democratic Party’ govern:
-ment (now with a lame-duck °
“leader) trying to get the |.
Nanaimo Commonwealth
- Holding Society scandal off
» the front | page and behind it

That’ s the opinion of West.” .
“Vancouver school board chairman
Ken Haycock.°

; The self-styled party, of consulta-

4 tion, of grass-roots sensitivity and all
* that chat, is forcing amalgamation of:
the province's schoal boards, reduc-.;’

-ing them from the present 75 to a

: reported 35 — imposing what it
; euphemistically calls a “redesign” of °
: the boards without any of the demo-°:

cratic niceties of asking local people

for their opinions.

And so far — with little but ;
‘rumors to hold on to at this writing, :
“and Education Minister Art: me
Charbonneau letting his officials | ob

. take the heat — the public is sleep- ©.

walking through this stealthy action.
‘ * Victoria will officiate at a shotgun.

Ostensibly this shrinking of the
-number of boards will save money. ..
Seems logical. Hard-pressed taxpay-

«ers will clap hands. Attractive theory.

But it's not so certain that there”.
_would be savings, and how much; in!

: real life. More to the point, this cen-"

-tralizing squeeze by Victoria could

“punish” thrifty boards and “reward!

squandering ones. :
Tha’ s more than an abstract

_ two communities are quite differ-

“militant teachers, and is $2.6 million :
~ in debt on a budget of $100, million, ;

wv still-oozing scandal. —
vi _The West Van board supervises

’ 6,562 students, enjoys “collabora-

tive” teacher relations, lower admin-,
istrative wages, and currently has a.’

. cool half million in the till.

West Vancouver council has ©

scarcely been alerted to the situation, “
‘but Coun. Andy Danyliu in a conver-

“sation with Haycock immediately

“threat in the case of Haycack's West :

Vancouver board, proud of its |,

~ schools’ ecademic excellence and
careful spending (it cut, administra-.
tive staff from 13 to four i in the fast

» decade). wo

The boards have only been p
abruptly informed that the -

redesign” is coming. Details’

unknown. !
But the expectation is that

wedding of the West and North Van
~ boards.

* Even North Van board chairman
Barb MacLellan acknowledges, as
reported by Jan Noble in the News
last week, that ‘she understands
_ Haycock’ 's concerns and that “our

ent.’
(Right. The, North Van board lovers,

SUCreeees

“_. was a mistake to miss an opportunity
: soy | Vancouver: electing a New

pledged strong support for the West '
Van board, and busy Mayor Mark +
Sager declared that the municipality
would support the board's integrity.
But, as Trustee Clive Bird con-

ceded i in making an aggressive series” .
of motions at Tuesday’s board meet-

ing, amalgamation “is going tobe”

imposed asa fait accompli?” He pro-.

posed a strong, instant letter to

» Charbonneau. : a
> But Trustee Michael MacDougall :

was,as prudent as a Scottish banker.
Since there was nothing on the table,
the pros and cons of amalgamation
weren't available, and there was lit-
Ue to go on but rumor; he cautioned

that the ministry. “should be given |.

the benefit of the doubt” and

allowance made for the possibility
‘that it ‘would change its position.

He detected “a shark frenzy | here,
‘as if there's blood in the water.”
But Trustee Jean Ferguson said it”

to take a stand. ©. :
“In the end Bird’ 's spirited, motions,

rerarers Aa oO ars,

“class” and write: ‘ine i ailing ‘to

“do his homework: N
-. datighter, like ‘coi
dren * across ‘the ‘country,

“John McCrae’ S An: ae

“edited for’ ei ‘lacie

“legality ‘and taste! Subimiss
: 21

Babes Howard ‘was absent.) 7

“T don’t feel w ;
solid support from’ out’

Pinkie said outside of em

“onity? ee
this month — enly after the NCHS

” scandal really exploded, derailing’ an

expected fall or spring election b
“nearly a year,

‘for a small election issue in. its 8 ck
"rent stance of striding into the bar;
room and snarling, “Lean eae

April’. Sti some breathing room,
« But the harsh'fact is that school
- boards may be like the disappearing :
Cheshire cat, They lost their taxing
power in the last decade. He" who:
pays ‘the piper... 2, -

Some, believe that, ‘having ict
discretionary’ money ¢ or power, ©"
“boards should simply become com
“mittees of local councils: !

Final'word on politics: Would
_ you say that the chances that the
“NDP would weep for rich West
‘Vancouver's school board are’ abou
the same as the chances for We st