6 - North Shore News ~- Wednesday, November 29, 2000

—-WIEW POINT-

Grant grief

ORTH Vancouver District

can’t afford to lose its Crown

corporation tax fight with
Victoria. Neither can residential tax-
payers in any municipality that’s home
to a Crown corporation.

Current legislation exempts Crown
corporations from paying property
taxes. It also frees them from the yoke
of local zoning and land-use bylaws.

Instead of taxes, they pay grants-in-
lieu to their host municipalities.

But those grants are often far less
than a privately owned business would
pay in municipal property and other
taxes.

As reported in the Nov. 24 North

Shore News, the provincial govern-
ment capped the annual grant-in-lieu
for BC Rail and its Vancouver Wharves
Operation at $2 million in 1998.

Vancouver District millions in tax rev-
enues — an estimated $800,000 short-
fall per year from BC Rail since it took
over Vancouver Wharves operations in
1997, Factoring in the exemption from
the school levy that Crown corpora-
tions also enjoy, Vancouver Wharves
has netted tax savings of close to $10
million over the past four years.

That tax shortfall comes out of the
pocketbooks of residential taxpayers.

West Vancouver-Garibaldi Liberal
MLA Ted Nebbeling has drafted a pri-
vate member's bill that, if passed,
would require Crown corporations to
pay their fair market share of property
taxes. It would also require them to
consult and work with local govern-
ments 2s would any other business.

That makes sense for North
Vancouver District and municipalities
around the province.

>

tapers

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: That decision has cost North

- maitbex
‘Handicapping
left to the bookies

“Dear, Editor:

As a devout North Shore News reader over many years
Ive witnessed much fine writing, some indifferent stuff, and
some pure comedy. Comedy often results when writers strug-

‘ple to frame an issue along some sort of “party line.” It’s cer-
-tinly no secret where the News’ political and editorial sympa-
thies have ‘come to lic since its purchase a few years ago by the
: Southam chain of Conrad Black fame. I like to imagine News
readers chuckling indulgently while sifting the facts our of such
articles. Urifortunately, we must be less indulgent when it
‘comes to things like local election/candidate reporting, a pret-
~ ty sefious responsibility in an area where less than two per cent
of voters will get to see and hear all the candidates in their rid-

19 ‘Tim’ Renshaw, “Handicapping North Van

“political horses”) tacitly invites us‘:u vote for the candidates he
fidges most likely to ‘win (strangels’ enough, the ones with the
national parties),

they: might’ lose.’ Sorry,’ North “Shore News, in elections,

‘upsets: happen ‘all che time becatise’ some’ people annoyingly. i
idate, ‘rather than voting“

st’in “voting: for ‘the best’ can
nilla.” I came away frony'this evening’s North Van all-can-
dates’ meeting astounded and im reseed by. the quality and
thoughtfulness of the diverse candidates, especially some of the
ones Mr. Renshaw votes least ee to succeed, Mf. democracy is

Editorial Assistant ~~"
985-2132 focal 121

North Shore News, tcunded in 1969 as an independent
suburban’ Newspaper and qualified inder Schedule
LiLh Paragraph | 11 Of the Excise Tax Act, fs published
each. Wednesday.” Friday and Sunday by’ Lower:
Maintsnd Publishing Group Inc., a division of Southam -
fons, a CanWest Company and distributed fo>
jd06r on the North Shore. Canada Post Ganadian ¥ ee 3
: HAYPromotions Manager
995-2131 (278)
- Contents oe 2000 Lower Mainland Publishing Group -
-tnc., a division of Southam Publications, a CanWest
Company, All rights reserved. Average circulation for
_ Wednesday, Fi and Sunday is 64.471,” a
mg Michael Becker .
fem Newsroom Editor

dohahwalensnews.com .

there. were some secret *
barrassment in betting on your personal choice if

t

“haustible
inefficient and unaccountable bureaucracies
‘or otherwise tossed down one vote-buying

nest INCumbent

“Every nation has the government it
deserves.”
-— Joseph de Maistre.

DIGEST then your
just desserts, fellow
Canadians.

The government we
deserve is apparently the
same one that's governed
the land for close to 78
of the county's 133
years. Call them the
Canadian Incumbent

‘Party. .

So much for
Canadians as political revolutionaries.

If we indeed deserve another four years -

of Liberal party rule, we can at least hope

for better than what’ we've had for the past ,

seven.
Would it be to much to ask, for exam-
ple, that the government in power regard
the People’ 's money as more than an inex-
resource to be squandered on

rat hole after another?

Would it be too much to ask that tax”
dollars squeezed from Canadians be *.
returned in times of surplus rather than
incinerated via political whim?

-- Would it be too much to ask that the

Oy country’s House of Commons henceforth -
be a place where the people’s business is

done rather than a place where the
Canadian Incumbent Party’ $ business is
done? -"

Would it be coo much to ask from way

-out West that concerns from Canadians

who aren’t in ridings represented by the

+ party in. power and aren’t in the

“Incumbents” region of favour be given |
we : ar

oO

eames
Repeat

Doug Fost t
General Manager :

985-2131 (123)
lootagasnenss.com

between the eyes.

confounded any Alliance opportunity of -
forming a cohesive election team.” ;

SOMEWHERE OUT WEST

consideration beyond party politics?

Would it be too much to ask that the

Prime Minister uphold rather than under-
mine such democratic
basics as free expression
and access to govern-
ment information?
Unfortunately, all indica-
tions from past Liberal
experience suggest a dis-
couraging, yes, it would
be tog much to ask, to

~ all of the above.

This, after all, is the
Canadian Incumbent
Party. Such wifles matter
for naught when you -

have occupied the country’s corridors of

power for so many years. |

Thus Monday’s election outcome was |
writ long before voting day.

There were but isolated moments in the
five-week campaign when the Canadian
Alliance had even a sniff of making any sig- «
nificant inroads east of the Prairies. _ -

> The party and its leader just dida’t have L
the horsepower nor a focused enough;

game plan nor the confidence in its plat ;
form to wrest the crown from the
Canadian Incumbent Party — tired and”

_ shopwom as its membérs are. ‘ :
The shot from Jean Chretien’s election le

starter’s pistol hit the Alliance Fight *.
At eliminated Alliance momentum; it:
It also left the party’s new leader with:

the task of having to write the national “’
political exam before receiving the lesson

Schooled he was by the Big Red Liberal: ¢ :

Machine.
Late in his first federal election cam-

*. paign, Day: confessed te feeling the heat of

LETTERS 10 THE EDITOR must include your.

name, full address and telephone number.

oh time again |

the constant national media pressure. :
That heat wilted Alliance resolve too"
quickly on too many issues — leaving the.
country without meaningful debate of such
key issues as health care and the innovative. .
approaches needed to nurse it back toe
health. It also revealed Day’s inexperience i
on the national stage. - 2
Indication of waning Day light wattage
was evident at the Nov. 15 Alliance »
fiindraiser at Vancouver’s Hyatt Regency.
Prior to his appearance, the sold-out. :
$350-per-plate event was abuzz with
expectation, But the old-time revival tent
electricity didn’s last long. ~~
While he delivered an articulate laundry.

“list of Alliance platform planks and assorted -

jabs to Liberal party tactics something \ was -

~ missing.

Passion? Charisma? Energy?
Confidence?

To varying degrees, all of the above.

I doubt the performance would have ;
swayed many in the curious or undecided

‘camps digesting their grilled | salmon that.”
night.

‘And in the end, Da overall perfo

+s Mance came up short for far too many.in
those camps, especially east of Manitoba.

.:. Not enough visible beneath th
image and telegenic h looks to swing careful
Canadians ;
On the North Shore and

oS West; however, the. message was again
delivered loud and clear: the Cariadia’
7 Incumb nt cary’ s vision of Canac

” .” Sohenit via e-mail to: mbecker@nsnews.com 1139 Lonsd Avenua, North fancouver, BC VTA

“After Hours ows Tips: 989-2131 (press 3)

ferry Peters

Edttotial Manager

4 S85-2131 (160)
ipelersQnsrews.com