8 - Wednesday, April 1, 1987 -. North Shore News Mailbox i FEDERAL FUNDS WARRANTED Funding to municipalities is unfair Dear Editor: Yes, municipalities should receive federal assistance to upgrade their infrastructure until a more rational federal tax distribu- tion svstem has been implemented. To leave municipalities with no source of income other than the property tax may have been all right during the time of the BNA Act when municipalities were either non-existent or relatively small. But today, when they have to cope with pollution, and pay for NWVD Council thinking | ‘out of the stone age’ Dear Editor: It ix not so many years ago that public recreation in the District of North Vancouver was virtually non-existent. That state of affairs, fortunately, has been alleviated, in the main, through the construction of several facilities, paid for from municipal land sales: But when it comes to providing funds for the arts, which is no dif- ferent from other forms of recre- ation, the mentality of present day council is still something out of the stone age. A recent example of this was a request by Presentation House, a non-profit cultural associatioa, and a centre for the performing and visual arts, the only one of its kind in North Vancouver, for an extraordinary grant so that, among other things, they could renovate their .washroom facilities to ac- commodate the handicapped. The grant was a prerequisite to their receiving a matching sum from the federal government. Unfortunately, district council turned this request down and referred it to later in the year when it may be considered again. Feder- a! grants, at that time, may or may not be available. ; It was about 15 years ago that the then mayor of the District of North Vancouver, in reply to an inquiry from a Vancouver Sun reporter as to why there were no, public recreational facilities in the’ district, offered his profound opi- nion that if the people wanted such facilities they could build their own. While the then council pretended to be tight with taxpayers’ money, that same mayor and council had no problem subsidizing big water- front industries to the tune of mil- lions of dollars year after year by giving them cut-rate taxes far below any other municipality in the region. When it comes to providing grants for artistic recreation, the neanderthal mentality of 15 years ago has surv*-‘ed intact. Ernie Crist, alderman District of North Vancouver humans do too. , Slmon Is a black & gray tabby, lost near Highlands & Tudors Canyon Helghts school area since eb. { miss my brother and my Please help’us __ 987-6902 Reward . i . On tke North Shore since 1955. Na) PARTS & SERVICE “PARTS & SERVICE FOR RIAJOR APPLIANCES Parts Dept. open 9:00 to 5:30 Mon. to Fri., Sat 9 to 5 Major appliance in-home service is as near as your phone. 1629 Garden Ave., North Vancouver 987-2251 . Vacuum cleaner parts or bring your cleaner in for servicing. ! 50%" Sale ends April 4 MANUFA Lycra Tights 849° transportation, police and fire pro- tection, recreation, water, sewer, garbage clisposa!, etc., and where their populations, in some cases, exceed that of provinces, it is hard- ly fair to cling to an inherently un- just and outdated system which forces them to carry this burden P y ay" NURSERYLAND _LAWN MOSS CONTROL PACKAGE 2 Dolomite Lime 1 MOSS KILLER SAVE 8° NOW : ! LOADED WITH BUDS 2 GAL. BUSHY PLANTS FLOWERING HEATHER YOUR CHOICE OF VARIETIES j gy LOOK LIKE THIS? ORNAMENTAL FLOWERING TREES CHERRY — PLUM & CRABAPPLE |RHODODENDRONS virtually alone. Not to speak of the additional costs municipalities have to absorb as a result of pro- vincial cuts in grants to non-profit welfare organizations as is the case in British Columbia. Municipalities should cither te given a portion of the gasoline or 87 INTEGRA PRICE FROM orm we WE liquor tax or they should be given a portion of the federal budget as is done in other countries. This should be part of a feder- al-provincial-municipal agreement enshrined in the constitution. Ernie Crist, slderman, District of North Vancouver 87 LEGEND FOR TRADEINS LEASING RATE gn DO YOUR RHODODENDRON LEAVES While Supplies Last NURSERIES & FLORIST wn. YOUR NORTH SHORE Nurseryland STORE . sa ¢ Pachysandra © Periwinkle . / * Creeping Cotoneaster Dameri ¢ English Ivy § 1! 9 . Mix or Match § Wool Cycling Pants. Aerobic Leotards §40° ypilano NURSERIES & FLORIST «0] Open to the Public. : Thursday, Friday & Saturday, 10-5pm & E #3-67 Lonsdale eo * =e MEMBER OF CANADA NURSERYLAND CORNER KEITH-BEWICKE-MARINE, 988-8082 988-6535 IE tiles Ave.(2nd floor):