Dear Editor: It is unfortunate — that, lespite more than 300 presen- ations to. community groups da steady stream of media formation, there are still rais- onceptions ‘over what the rovincial government's photo dar program is all about. That was clearly illustraced -Leo Knight's recent column Radar. tolls for thee”) in your paper, ; -Ina nutshell, the program is tended to work with conven- fonal enforcement to reduce ipced," reduce accidents, and ve lives and the- millions of Aollars.. speed-related - crashes fost cach year., =” Itadds 104 police officers to the. province, at no cost,to the unicipalities in which they will ‘ork enhancing ‘the .work of yonventional traffic officers, and ceing up police. resources to loncentrate on other matters, ¢ drinking and driving. - As part. of such ‘a plan, photo dar: programs - hi been . pitremely successful ‘in other - of the world, and the'B.C. . considered °: by” the field: to. have: : “pictures ¢ ‘the: " stands ~ for - Automated) is ongoing, . and The only problem is in the computer program to make the link between the vehicle licences and the registered own- ers. The alternate system ‘that has been designed will make that link manually, and the rest of the system will operate as intended. Testing of the ATS equipment (to correct another small error in the column, the A American not the results. of the testing will determine how long the “alter- nate” plan will remain in place. ‘The. last: five months of, “warning” - -letters.” generated - province-wide havé been done using ‘this alternate system, with © a ‘minuscule error rate, and no “delays \ in processing. More checks “and: batances on the” * alternate: system for. the “real”. tickets will ‘ensure even: preater: quality control. 7 While ‘it, might be’ iander-” tandable that Mr. Knight could . * be Wrong ¢ on the details of the: OLD NAVITIMER SWEDSH JEWELER Park Royal South 922-2255 photo radar program, it is incomprehensible why he spent the fast part of his column maligning Staff Set. Mike Clarabut, and traffic officers in general. Staff Sut. Clarabut was Officer in Charge of the photo mdar program from its incep- tion until July of this year. A 26-year ROMP veteran, he represented the police, not ATS or anyone else, in his duties to tlk co as many British Columbians as he could about how the program would work, and what a large part communi- ties play in its development, its policies, and the locations of its cameras. Contrary to Mr. “Knight’s comment, traffic enforcement officers are “real” police offi- cers. With many times more peo- ple killed and injured in a year in traffic accidents than.in any other crimes, dealing with the prevention of that carnage, enforcing penaltics against those who cause it, and han- dling the. aftermath of horrific -¢rashes when they do happen is teal indeed. Leigh Carter ICBC Traffic Safety Initiative PARHLBOX POLICY LETTERS to the editor must be’ legible (preeoy type- written) and include your ‘name; full «address: and tele- phone number. Submissions can be faxed eto 985- 2104, te PROFESSIONALS First Advisory Group Established At the July 25 North Shore Health Board (NSHB) meeting, terms were approv-_ ed for a group to represent the interests of people living on the North Shore with; mental ifiness and those requiring mental health services. The Mental Health Advisory Group’s responsibility will be to respond to requests from the NSHB for advice about the health and well-being of people with mental illness and - mental health issues in general. The 12-member group includes consumers, - family members, community representatives and service providers. The current members of the Mental Health Advisory Group have been appointed by the .- NSHB until a-formal selection process is completed. They are: Gordon Arnold; John Borthwick, Mel Clark, Anne Cuillerier, Margaret Dean, Sharon Hargroves,. Louise Harris, John Hnatow, Debbi Maryk,- Mary-Lou McKinley, Renee - ian Pineauit, Susan Precious, Jack Robertson, Susie Stevens, Mariel Terry, Jenny~ VanDenBerghe, Johannes VanDenBerghe, and Paula Williams. People with mental iliness are one of the seven designated population f health - groups identified by the Ministry of Health as not having equal access to health care. The other designated populations are: children and youth, first nations, women, people with disabilities, multi cultural groups, and seniors. Regional Review Status will make on the. process at the end of the suminer. MacPhail ; stress . Jesponse to this interim recommendation should not ‘be seen as at board and council clections. : process. These include the follovring requests: | © that the provincial government reconfirm its somiimeit to to the principle 0 : greater public involvement and input inte decisi n-making, | local governsne and concrete support for public participation initiatives . : that a full transfer of authority and shift of Ministry infrastnicture oceur immediately so that the NSHB may proceed with its mandate, opportunities to share and/or reduce administrative : casts and functions. For example, hufnan resources/personnel policies and benefits for'ior -union s staff at all agencies expected to be governed and operated by the NSHB: are being: reviewed. Representatives from each of these facilities are woiking together t to develop a regional plan that wiil be fair, cost- effective, and result in ‘expected _ savings for the region, Also, human resources representatives are designing a. new human resources/personne! structure for the NSHB’s consideration. The plan will ensure consisiency, reduce duplication and improve effic iciencies throughout the region. to . Tell us what you think We want to hear from you. If you have questions, ideas or : concerns please don’t hesitate to contact our Communica- tions Office at 984-3846. Or, . | if you prefer, send us a letter’ by mail or fax and we will be sure = to set back to you. : at? pm i in tthe ‘North Van couver District Chambeis, 355 West Queens, whe * w210. -171 WEST ESPLANADE, NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. vm a9 (604), 984. 3841 FAX (604) 984- 3840 |