6 - North Shore News - Sunday, November 5, 2000 ATEVER happened to those good old fashioned town hall meetings to elect a new sheriff? Or, in this instance, to elect a new Member of Parliament. Are there no longer enough interest- ed voters clamouring to ask the hope- fuls some really tough questions in order to decide who gets their vote? Have we become so disenchanted with politics that the up close and personal experience with a political hopeful is no longer marketable? Consider the actions of our local chambers of commerce. North Vancouver's all-candidate . meeting will take place over a $15- to $20-a-plate breakfast in an attempt to make the event more attractive and “fun” for local businesses. » And while Squamish-area voters —VIEW POINT— Vancouver-Sunshine Coast candidates, the Squamish Chamber of Commerce will be invoicing cach of the candidates who attend their share of renting Totem Hall on Nov, 22. West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce is charging neither public nor candidates for attending its public meeting at West Van secondary school. One snag: while the Friday Nov. 24 date makes the event as timely as possi- ble for the Monday Nov. 27 election, there will be no possibility for us to report the event to a wider audience. Congrats to the chambers for doing their best but are the options good enough, voters? The North Shore News wants to hear from you if you would like an additional opportunity to meet the candidates. We will orga- nize such a meeting if we believe the interest is out there. Let us know. ~ won't have to pay to meet their West » “Taxes are like paying rent to live in Canada.” | -\Nerth Vancouver resident Irene Johnson on taxation as a “sy: federal election issue. (From a Nor. 1 News story.) . OQ9 “On the way back all you could sce was a cone stick- ing above the water, like a witch’s hat. That was all you ‘could sce ‘of the plane.” ‘ Burrard: Otter marine attendant Mike Andrews, on the West. Coast: Air ‘float plane that crashed into the water Wednesday. Passengers ' were rescued by SeaBus crew. (From, a Nov. 3 News ary. de ca Ereater chance of. winning the lot- ery than of winning ia the election. + and I don’t even buy a lottery ticket.” : Keith: Lynn Atvernate condary’ teacher Rusty Corben, o’s running as ‘an independent candidate in the federal election to help his s udents learn about government,’ (From Nov, 3 News : os OOO “Tell them they need 1 psychiatric help.” : Potter author: J.K. Rowling on those wko think . inspire: tanisin. ‘(From a Nov. 3 This Week - : g after: is better ‘chal the three month the five month after.” - adette: Mitchell supports the’ over-the- “counter sale. g-after pt. without prescription on the basis. lot of unwanted Pregnancies. (From a that it will liminate a ublications - Mail ‘Sates Product Agreement fla 7238. ‘Mailing fates avaiabie on request. Entit »" campai; "upon Libera FOR whom does this Beli toll? Whether it be for thee in the federal riding of North Vancouver only time will cell. Ex-provincial NDP operative Bill Bell was acclaimed as your Libera! candidate on Oct. 24. The 46-year-old business consultant and North Vancouver City - councillor has since .. roared out of the gate / . dressed for tear with ; ‘incumbeat Alliance MP Ted White i in his crass-hairs. ©. Opening ‘shot: White” 5 record ‘of: ‘declining to endorse student summer job grant applications and otherwise turning down Human Resources Development Canada grants destined | _for North Shore infrastructure pro- grams. : White’s response: just doing his con- ‘ ’_stituency’ 's bidding by making prudent ~ use of taxpayer dollars through selective grant approval as originally directed by a committee of North Vancouver con: stituents. ——- “Since then a larger delivery of Liberal | ordnance has been untoaded he Alliance MP. Bell has deftly taid into White’s attendance record in Parliament. According to an Oct. 27 News story : chronicling his unchallenged nomina _ tion, Bell told his supporters that, over . “ the past six months, White had been i in” «the House of Commons for votes only’ 5 per cent of the time. _ Nice hot. Gat RUN AGAIN? NAH, | NEED ALL MY ENERGY FOR SWIMMING Burt White counters that he has an impeccable attendance record in the _ House. With his party-assigned House duty day currently being Friday, White says he misses many of the vores in the House, which are traditionally taken on Tuesdays, a day he usually works in his North Vancouver constituency. He also points out that he was out of the coun- try during the close to 2,000 votes on the Nisya’ ‘a treaty thac took - place in the House earlier this year. White's accompanying comment that the House of Commons is “a dysfiunc- . tional, dictatcrial, disgusting place” - badly in need of democratic reform was -long on candour from the direct democ- racy advocate; but short on the tradi- tional campaign wisdom of candidates saying pa ts that will offend anyone. ~ Prime ammunition for Bell, a canny ~ backroom political strategist whose pre-- _ vious work in that area has carned him such nicknames as‘Dr. Dirt. Pd wager, as the old BTO classic * promises: “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” This Bell is.just: beginning to toll.’ ; Politically active since high school, he ; joined thé socialist hordes back in the. . early 1980s, first as‘a campaign manager ° for David Schreck, later as media liaison ; for Bob Skelly, | later still as same for : -: Mike Harcourt. He currently makes: his” living advising businesses how best to" ‘catch government’s ear. 9 < : So how'd he end up with the 200 ‘Liberals. — the provincial’ ‘NDP's public Be y No« 1 for . LETTERS TO 0 THE EDITOR mast include your << name, full address and telephone. number. - i Submit via e-mail to: mbecker@nsnews.co After Houis News Tips: 985-21 3t (press 3) “Timothy Ren saw Executive :.uiGt . 985-2131 (756) drenshar: gnsneds.com ho Stephenson Classified Manager 985-6222 (202) Harcourt regime. noises from ND Cynics will tell vou that, with the federal socialist ship heading for the’ rocks, it’s a strategic Liberal move to catch’all those NDP vores abandoning ship. ; ‘But what's Bell's explanation? it’s the Glen Clark factor... The reign of the disgraced } NDP pr mier, Bell says, soured him: on the par Sounds reasonable. Any halfivay astute politico would long ago hav scrambled to cut ali ties with the pari that has inflicted such’ serious damag; on B.C. and the NDP. But Bell’s ties with previous NDP. ‘administrations are not so easily sever For he concedes that he didn have similar discomfort with the . But. did -not Premier Mike o ovtics under dark clouds?:: Was it not-Harcourt’s reign th broaght us the Bingogate fiasc event; that increased. the prot by: close t0'$12 billion; tha anti-business Labour Relations Cod ’ changes on the province; that us the misnamed Fair: Wage policy; that retooled the province’s Human: Ri ». Code to squelch free’ speech? 3 ell and I-go back'a fon “He’s a fellow North‘ V: “ scheol class-of-'72, grad: . Our paths run paraliel : during boyhood adventures ‘local ‘waterfront during th excitement of the-1960s He’s long beaten thé drum 6 improving the lot of society “snate. [admire his’ political energi his involvement i in the p iti Bur this long- ” Liberal tone sti