6 — Friday, January 9, 1998 — North Shore News north shore news VIEWPOINT Refugee review penny appears to be drop- ping at least somewhere in Ottawa on the immigration issue. The road pioneered for so long by lone voices in the wilderness, such as the now-retired News columnist Doug Collins, and more recently by West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast Reform party MP John Reynolds, is getting more traffic. Some of it from aormal- ly obtuse seats of power. A report released this week into Canada’s badly flawed immigration system contains a steamer trunk of rec- ommendations for its improvement. Included among the more intelligent recommendations: Thar potential immigrants be able to speak and understand at least one of the country’s two official languages; That all family-class immigrants not fluent in French or English be charged tuition fees for language training. While we are at it let’s detain anony- mous claimants at the coun- try’s border and establish some kind of legitimacy of those seeking access to the country before allowing them in. And ship back charlatans, criminals and cheats on the next plane rather than letting taem roam free until authorities can track them down. Also, let’s establish a refugee board made up of professionally qualified members rather than political appointees. Immigration offers many positives for this vast country, but those posi- tives evaporate quickly when the sys- tem is run for the political gain of the governing party rather than in the best interests of the country’s social and economic enrichment. YEAH, | AGREE PAUL: RECALL REALLY 1S UNFaIR... LANDA LIKE TELLING VOTERS THERE's A SURPLUS, WHEN THERE'S REALLYA DEFICIT, Just To GeT ELECTED...OR aiibex ————— | fViurmurs, mayors and midwives GVTA will deliver improved transit Dear Editor: “For those pe na who feel as I do that the public wan- _ sit system is totally inadequate to meet the needs of most SHOUTS & Murmurs: Last Friday I dumped massively on Health Minister Joy MacPhail’s latest sop to the chic Jeft — bringing midwives into the public health system. And paid far more than doctors for essentially the same job ($2,250 vs. about $800). Hope you caught these letters in the Vasconver Sun: North Shore residents and indeed the residents of the entire Lower Mainland, help may be close at hand. *~ Should the GVRD board of governors make the pru- dent decision on Feb, 28 to accept the negotiated tran- -sit agreement with the province, we could soon be see- ing. major changes and improvements to our ailing tran- sit system. Such an agreement would see the establish- _ ment of a Greater Vancouver Transit Authority (GVTA) take control of SkyTrain, the Westcoast Express, about ‘1,000 buses and major roads and bridges from the province so that for once decisions regarding public tran- sit can be made locally instead of in Victoria. Think about it. A new regionally governed and con- trolled body to co-ordinate planning for all these inter- related aspects of transportation that is now next to impossible due to the hodgepodge of municipal, region- ‘al and provincial agencies that currently cxist, a transit authority both responsive and responsible to the people who live in this region. If this agreement is not signed and we do nothing, the past history of waste, inefficiency and neglect will continue to degrade our transportation system at cnor- mous cost in economic, social, environmental and liv- ability terms. The time is now to bring transit truly clos- er to home where we can keep a closer eye on it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address the most important problem facing the region’s livability. Because in the end, people don’t care which level of government is responsible for transit, they just want and deserve a much better system than we have now. Darrell Mussatto - North Vancouver City councillor north shore. Dr. Allan Brookstone, Richmond: A delicate induced-labar birth ending Christmas Day took 58! hours of bis ume. It paid him $442.25. That’s $5.31 an hour. After taxes, $2.65 an hour. For total pregnancy including delivery, $706.34. Dr. AJ. Smyth, New Westminster: While midwives get $2,256 tor a normal birth, “a neurosurgeon is paid $2,157 to repair a ruptured brain aneurysm. Go fig- ure.” Easy figuring, Dr. Smyth. Doctors col- lectively have few champions — and a “rich” image. That image is exploited by Glen Clark's New Democratic Party. It’s the most class- divisive player of the politics of envy of B.C.’s three NDP governinents. But ask ‘people if they like and trust their own doctors. Overwhelmingly, yes. Figure this too: Greg Douglas reports that Canucks’ Dr. Ross Davidson got the health system’s fee for knee surgery that saved multibucks star Pavel Bure’s carcer -— $567. Better you should put ona wig, get some hot towels, learn “supportive” lingo, and set up as a midwife, loc. C Vest Vancouver Mayor Patricia Romane continues to lose the confidence of council. This month could be rough. Even humiliating. Ry tradition, the mayor is appointed as WV's director on the Greater Vancouver Regional District board. That formality occurs carly in December for the following year. Mayor Boname is also on the GVRD’s transporta- tion committec. Victoria proposes to hand the transit system to the GVRD and demands its compliance by the end of February. That’s a hot potato. Lower Mainland councils are grappling with the complexities (North Van City supports the principle), and the NDP’s rush job is resented as politically motivated. (A report on Wednesday’s North Shore public meet- ing on transit is in today’s News.) Complaints drift out that the mayor simply isn’t telling her council what's going on at the GVRD shop. (In contrast, North Van District Mayor Don Bell gets high marks for fastidiously keeping his council informed before discussing the issue even with other North Shore coun- cils.) Last month Coun. Russ Fraser dropped a litle bombshell. He successfully moved to have council’s planning committee — Liz Byrd, Victor Durman and Allan Williams — revort by Jan. 31 on the virtu- ally automatic appointment of the mayor to the GVRD. A subtle slap, maybe? An informal, lengthy and grumpy meeting of mayor and council followed. As someone in the know described i it, “Ir went downhill from start to finish.” More dissension: West Van council will soon announce a total study — indepen- dent of the bureaucracy — of the munici- pal structtirc, from firchalls and police ‘up.: . Last year’s Dolphin report, shepherded by municipal manager Doug Allan, was fes-. tooned with secrecy, laundered in generali- ties, and giver guts only by leaks of the candid complaints and suggestions of its union members. This latest consultant is known as spe- cific and thorough —~ “ao frills, no flufty,” one admirer tol under the microscope. It better follow through, too, or Lionel Lewis will snap at its heels. 90a I've scoured bookstores to buy West Vancouverite Denny Boyd's book chroni- cling the Canadian Football League, Legends of Autumn , printed in late October. (A late lead: Try Jason Black’s magazine kiosk, Park Royal.) Why didn’s. publisher Douglas & McIntyre alertly pro- mote it at Grey Cup nme? Is this what's called “the sleeper play”? Q00 The North Shore is too young to have much history. How sad that some of it went up in flames at beloved Paine Hardware on Lonsdale. 9a From all reports, the only thing fast about the gleaming high- speed catamaran being built in North Vancouver, now nine months overdue and optimistically promised for May, is the speed at which its cost is rising — from $70 million to $90- $100 million. This craft could be a political torpedo. me. Council itself will be: es LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must include your name, full address & telephone number. VIA e-mail: trenshaw @ ditect.ca Worth Shore News. founded n 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and quakted under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tax Act. is published each Wednesday. Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Ltd. and distributed to every door on the North ‘Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mait Sales Product Agreemert Wo. 067233 Mading rates available on cequest. Display Advertising Real Estate Advertising Classified Advertising Newsroom Distribution Display & Real Estate Fax PereR geek Managing Editor 985-2131 (101 206-2133 (116) Comptoli 985-2137 (133) Michael Becksr - News Editor 965-2131 (134) Andrew McCredie - Sports/Community Editer 985-2131 (147) Genera Manager 985-2131 (218) 985-2131 (105) internet- http://www. nsaews.com Barbara E J Sell Distribution Manager Creative Services Manager 988-“337 (124) 985-2131 (127) 61,582 (average circulation, Weu.scaday. Feday & Sunday) Pnotograpty Manager Oisplay Manages 905-2131 (108) 900-0511 (166) Entire coments © 1997 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. Classified Manager 986-6222 (282)