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LIFEIN BC.

UNDERWATER MARINE.

COME THROVGH

KRANANNNRNY

SPAIN NINE BEN Ii

“NEWS VIEWPOINT — ae
harvest —

HE: “RECENTLY released Forest:
"Renewal. ‘Plan, the Harcourt govern-’

f - ment’s strategy to maintain forest-
dependent jobs‘ while paying heed to increas-*':
ing demands: for forest preservation, is a
. move that: should have’ been made decades

;

“ago.

The government. expects to raise increased :

ing to do with sound resource. management
‘policy and everything to do with a blessing of
‘abundant resource and limited population. -
‘The two areas that should receive the most.
immediate attention: the rehabilitation of
watersheds, eroded logging roads and dam-
aged logged areas; investment in and market-
ing support. for ‘the start-up of valu

to insist
on being heard,
by governm

USING SMOKE and mir-
rors, Mike Harcourt’s Non-
Democrat government is qui-

_etly preparing to kill the

“direct democracy” demand-
ed by over 80% of B.C. vot-
ers in.1991,

‘After 30 months of foot-drap-
ging by the legishitive cammittee
on Recall and Referendum,
Mikey's boys have at last got busy
drafting a bill which may be intro-
duced in the House-ny day now.

IF it follows the recommenda-
tions of the committee, chaired by
NDP MLA Ujjal Dosanjh, it will
resemble what four out of five 199]
voters were seeking about as close-
ly as night resembles day.

Yes, indeed we recommend
recall and initiatives, the committee
reported — provided petitions for
recalling an MLA are signed by
51% of ALL ELIGIBLE RIDING
VOTERS within 60 days. f
Meanwhile, province-wide initia-
tive votes would NOT necessarily
bind the government. i .

Such prohibitive signature and
voting requirements, of course,
would render the bill an empty
farce. /

,
f

/

e-added AN

HITHER AND YON |

/- -
mot a

Canadian Taxpayers? Federation.
Keynote speakers —— including
Independent West Van MLA David
Mitchell, former B.C. Liberal; ;
leader Gordon Gibson, David

Somerville of the National Citizens’ pes

Coalition and constitutional expert
Mel Smith, Qc— warned of the-
need for massive and active public

_ involvement if B.C, was ever.to,

enjoy true direct democracy. :.
Actually, however, direct.,

~ democracy is achievable WITH-

OUT recall and initiative legisla

“companies using wood. R&D support is crue. / :. tion, The basic need is simply to

cial in this competitive area. , : i __.° free MLAs from the stranglehold of
Our raw resources give us an edge. We "pany discipling, once they’ Te fies

have been frittering away our natural her- ed. For that, parties must be made

, to accept the fact that MLAs are’;
itage. In the process we have cheated present | "primarily the servants of their con-

net: revenues of $409, million annually by:
. Faising. the rate of | stumpage charged for. the
harvest of public timber.

This money. will go'to. forest renewal _ 66 The basic need i is

" through. such: projects as faster replanting of:
*- and future generations: a

- Now. isthe dime to tap the entrepreneurial”
. spirit that still drives most ‘of our country.
There are. jobs’ ‘to be had. The future of for-
est-based towns: in B.C. may best be secured.
-via diversity — judicious logging, manufac-
turing : and, forest regeneration.

: more harvested areas.

‘lt Ss scandalous that we ‘continue to rely s so

heavily’ upon: our ‘traditional ‘role within the
‘world economy as ‘hewers of wood and draw-' :
ers of water. That we have not reached the. .
‘environmental crisis point that most other
ountries are e already coping with has noth-

‘ollins critic deserves « criticism, too

: Dear Editor: ¢
", {The Wednesday, March 30, let-
.ter.from.Adam Rabiner entitled

= ‘ “Woeful whining” was as offensive :

-as‘ anything he. accuses ; Doug
Collins of writing. -

“Mr. Rabiner says “Doug Collins

ne IS. - amusing all of us educated

° peoples...”
Y Just how: educated is Mr.
Rabiner?: Are those educated peo-
ples he refers to only those who

“agree: with him, or a specific race,
or both? :

oS Perhaps ohly those with univer-
sity ‘degrees and government grants
qualify?

Publisher...
< Managing E:

- My. Grade 9 teacher told me that

when I came to realize how little 1:

knew, then I would be educated. He
(Mr. Rabiner) and his circle of
acceptabie friends stil] seem to
know it all.

Mr. Rabiner then slanders
Collins by calling him a “fifth-rate

columnist whose salary is paid for

by grocery ads.”
This is a pretty snobby remark
for an educated man to make.

Giving columnists ratings presup- ,
poses that the rater has some skill

in that area.
To malign Collins for getting

. paid by grocery ads is to belittle

_ Display Advertising

Classified Advertising 986-6222 Fax

980-0511 Distributien
Real Estate Advertising .985-6982 Subscriptions

. anyone who makes an > ones! living

other. than by the -unspecified
approved method of Mr. Rabiner.

Were | as noble and educated as ~

Mr. Rabiner, I wouldn't open. the
North Shore News knowing in
advance that it is not proper read-
ing. Any paper that runs grocery
ads in order to supply free copies to
everyone can’t be any good. I
would read only. papers by. paid
subscription, which contain no
advertising below my station, and
retain only approved first-rate
columnists.

J. Edwards

West Vancouver

986-1337 -
986-1337
985-3227

: Aesoclato Editor...
Sates & Marketing
i Compirolier.

North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an
indapendent suburban newspaper and qualified
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 tho North Shore.
, Canada Post Canadian Pubtications Mail Sales
Product Agreement No, 0087238. Mailing rates
available on request. Submissions are welcome but
we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited
material including manuscripts and pictures which

should be accompanied by a stamped, addressed ,

envelope.

985-2131

Newsroom * : 985-2131 - Administration

MEMBER

1139 Lonsdale Avenue = * .
North Vancouver B.C. SOA DIISION

7M 2a 61,582 cireut Wedn
North Shore Mana ged {average reutation, esday, Friday & Sunday) «

Entire contents © 1994 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

-at all within the time limit. The

obviously brought little cheer last
* weekend to the Burnaby seminar on

simply to free’ .
; MLAs from the

stranglehold of party

discipline, once
they’re elected. 99 °

: '

Unless an initiative compels the
government to take some kind of
action — whether legislation or a°
formal referendum — it is patently
pointless. And certainly no MLA,-
however slothful or contemptuous :
of his constituents’ wishes, would
ever lose a wink of sleep over the
recall conditions. .

~ In North Shore ridings a recall;
would mean collecting something
of the order of 16,900 signatures,
checking each one against the vot-
ets list and shipping them to
Victoria — all within eight weeks.

‘By contrast, California requires
the signatures of only 12% of regis-
tered voters to petition the recall of | -
a stale representative and allows. -
160 days, or well over five months,’
to collect them. Even so, the
process —- contracted out to spe-
cialized, tighly computerized firms
-— can cost into hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars.

Under Mr. Dosanjh’s rules the
cost in B.C. could be still higher,
even if the job could be completed .

prospect of Mikey’s belated and.
toothless “direct democracy” bill :

the issue. sponsored by the

: POSTSCRIPTS:

‘theatre ‘at ‘17:
‘Meanwhile, Queén Elizabeth is 68°

_, Stituents and must vote'at all times:
“accoriling to the latter’s wishes. .

“« This would entail’ many more free.

votes in the legislature — with

party whips relegated | to the histor
books. Meanwhile, defeat of the;

“ government On any specific, non-

confidence issue would NOT. the

defeat of the government.itself.:

A small-scale’ working model

“already ‘exists in former'Liberal’

MLA Mitchell and his West Van:

* Garibaldi Independent Riding.

Association. If al!’ MLAs func-
tioned similarly, citizens would
last have a'very real voice in the

- conduct of their business ;

BETWEEN elections. ..:
‘If that’s the direct democracy:

"you want, start letting your MLA“

know, loud and clear, that his job:

depends on giving it to youl."
Drop”’,.b: Be

Delbreok Ree Centre Sunday,’ :

April 24, and enjoy. all the crafts, -"
’ entertainment‘and games’ ‘at its.

Spring Craft Fair & ‘Kids Karnival ;
between 10 a.m, and 4 p.m: ..)-
West Van Theatre production of
Seamarks at 1564 Argyle. continues
until April 23 at 8 p.m. nightly — —_
926-2228 for reservations’... Up the
hill West Van Senior High’s Hello.
Dolly! also continues until April 23. .’-
at 7:30 p.m, nightly in the schcol_;
1750 | Mathers. ...

tomorrow, April 21, and former
premier, Rita Johnston, hits 58 the!
next day ..: Many happy returns of
April 23 to. North Van’s Bette
Booth and David Bain ... Plus
salute to Sti George of Merr

. Engiande.

WRIGHT OR WRONG: Mos

. progress is simply a matter:of.

exchanging one inconvenience for, ;

another. °