6 ~- North Shore News — Friday, April 21, 2000

VIEW POINT:

Taxing issue

OOD fuck to the North

Vancouver District staff mem-

bers tasked with the challenge
of trying to pull a “tax holiday” out
of their hats on behalf of political
masters mulling a 0% tax increase.

Anything is possible of course.
Every year could be a tax holiday. It’s
easy: reduce services, wean the good
citizens of their inflated expectations
and make users pay the freight every
step of the way.

This week’s push to investigate the
budgetary implications of 0% was led
by three new councillors. It’s an easy
enough position to take by politicians
looking to score easy points with
cash-crunched taxpayers.

The municipality’s draft financial
plan, which must be approved by
council on May 14, sets out a 4.3%
increase to ratepayers over 1999.

“maitbox

Youth Advisory says
use McCreary survey

Upon careful’ discussion and deliberation, the Youth

> Advisory.Group to the North Shore Health Board has come
to be of the position that the McCreary Report survey should

¢ i jorth Shore municipalities.

” The-Youth ‘Advisory Group believes that the survey should
_-be given: to youth in Grades 7-12 in all North Shore public
schools ‘and chat all questions on the survey given across
British Columoia should be included on the survey given on

be conducted in all three of the N

the North Shore. °

Shore Hews, founded in 1969 25 an Independent
shaper. and qualtied under Schedule

of the Excise Tax Act, is pubkshed

"Sunday by HON”

Caters
Oistriputi

Taking into account a new $170
garbage and recycling charge and a
reduction in ‘vater rates, the net
effect is an extra $77 for the average
home.

There is always some latitude to
maintain any tax increase at a level to
be absorbed with minimal pain. Staff
have already identified some items for
possible elimination from the budget.

Of course the underlying current is
partially driven by actions taken by
the NDP government a few years ago
that saw the district hit harder than
most provincial municipalities.

The province’s decision to cut
support to local government by $40
million in 1998 is still being coped
with by municipalities presented with
three possible reactions — job lay-
offs, increased taxes or reduced
services.

worst fate that can befall a .
politician.

for West Vancouver-
Capilano is being joked
about. :

I feel rather sorry for
him. Being ridiculed is
no fun — and it’s the __
rare politician who has
the wit, the cool, the
composure to turn the
joking back on his tor-:
mentors, The foregoing
does not describe
Dalton. '

Any day now I

expect someone to say: “Is that a pen in
your pocket, Jeremy, or are you just glad

to see me?”

The Liberal member of the legislature

ingly. “rec giving the
io Nowth Shore youth. Also of note,
would: like to mention that the ...
ent unanimously passed a resolu-
: North Shore students for the

Dalton’s pen is indeed proving might-
ier than the sword. He’s repeatedly
stabbed himself with it.

He is now serving three months in "
‘the Liberals’ penalty box for high-hand-
ed sticking with that pen. a

He wrote a Sobbying-type letter to
_ the government on his legitsiature letter-
'. head supporting his wife and father-in-

law in ther private iand dispute with an
Indian band... ne ;

What got Dalton into the sin bin was
the stationery. Members of the legislature
are not supposed to write about personal

matters on their MLA letterheads.

«Some years ago Moe Sihota did exact-
ly the same. thing — a trifle; in retro- :
spect, considering his later exploits — in ~

fon Manager

..Malcolm Parry re

GOOD NEWS

MARG, | THINK Si) |

i've FouND US "|
A DEPENDENT

, _ w wa Se Me
WD EARNS Ss

paid up to his dying day. The senior
Sihota simply ignored a court judgment.
John Reynoids, then a West
Vancouver Social Credit MLA, scorched
Moe for his no-no.
Back to Dalton. His
learning curve is puz- ©
alingly low. Scraping
the ground, the altime-
ter might say.
Three years ago he
wrote a similar letter —
same dispute, same let-
terhead. Party leader
Gordon Campbell
‘stripped him of his title
of labour critic for
using his office as MLA
oO, in a matter where his_
family stocd to benefit, and gave him a
tougher suspension than the NHL metes

- Gut to stick-wielding miscreants: One

year without any caucus title.

Afterwards Campbell made him’
deputy whip. Ab, but the lure of the pen
got him again, like moth drawn to flame. .

‘Dalton wrote ~ he seems to hand-write
-most of his letters, certainly the ones he’

sent me — the North Van schoo! board

‘ about a matter at a school which his chil-

dren attended: And once more on his

MLA letterhead. are
Damn! That pésky pen! Campbell. _

again tore off his number, so to speak.
A sadder but a wiser man? Apparently

. Not. Dalton buzzes like a hornet at his
accusers. Justifies his conduct. Prickly as...
a porcupine, our. Jeremy..." © © 0
’.But his quills don’t protect him from:
~ North:
ted that at last. 2. i

others’ barbs. Vancouver Sun columnist
week's roast for North Vancouver broad-
caster Rafe Mair, New Democrat toj
redhead and labour minister Joy"

Sohail vis

name, full address. and telephone number.
e-mail to: freashaw@nenews.com

-tacious Mike Smyth of The

PO Ad

Dalton fell on his own pen

JEREMY Dalton is suffering the

MacPhail zinged that Dalton couldn't ° :
write to say he was unable to attend |
because “he'd run out of MLA letter-
head.” Cn SE

And when Vaughn Palmer compared
Dalton to a donkey, NDP MLA Dennis
Sweifel responded in rage. It seems. -):",
Streifel owns a donkey. Goes by name o}
Rosie O’Donkey. Palmer graciously apol
ogized. To the donkey. oe

Well, Dalton may yet get the fast h
haw. Er, laugh. Oe

But at this writing his political future’
would seem sober indeed. His con-:
stituency association is amazingly doci
if it isn’t thinking hard about a general

election that. must be called by May,

¢ name that crops up as his possi
ble challenger — if Dalton | lets his nam
stand again -— is Jim Hogan; the lawy
who ran against Patricia Boname fo!

. West Vancouver mayoralty in'1996."

Dalton will have to show cnormous
improvement. And I’m not talking abou:

usually
wrote that he. hopes “fas:

-" Bob Ward’s libel suit agains’
’ fails. Poor Glen's had enous

“Says ne
So Ward should forget
libel? Easy to. say, i

y

Deering-Rob
A r

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