sday, August 11, ema e: piers AND HERE WE HAVE THE SENATE CHAMBER . iystery EST VANCOUVER’S appeal hy court. victory last week, in which Y VY the municipality becarne $250,000 richer due to ‘a judicial decision that. upholds the finders-keepers principle, is to be celebrated only if the mystery money is put to appropriate use. Mayor Mark Sager is inclined to have the cash deposited into the municipal gen- eral revenue account and 2 long-term capi- tal fund. * The RCMP were unable to categorically ‘establish. proceeds-of-crime linkage to the » $285,000 worth ef crisp U.S. $100 bills ‘found hidden three years ago in a car driv- en by a man who would three weeks later . die of a cocaine overdose. The appeai court found that the man did not know of the presence of the money in 1993 - North Shore News Merete eft tr the future. / Nate tph tener Mlle SSS noney the vehicle he was driving on the day a _ West. Vancouver police officer pulled him over for a simple traffic violation. He therefore did not have possession of it. The questionable source of the cash re- mains an unresolved issue. . While the municipality funds, West Vancouver must be account- able should the owners of the money come forward and establish their ownership ir receives the Until that time, the money might best be ‘used to fund the establishment of a proac- tive crime prevention program such as the successful Block Watch program in place in North Vamcouver. Ail residents of West Vancouver would ‘benefit directly and im- mediately from the municipality’s court- fought windfall. - Garden beds can never cover ‘WV prison’ Dear Editor: '. Trevor Lautens’ July 30 com- ~~” ment that he was ‘‘truly dismayed about the. appearance of the new wing of the: West Vancouver Me- . morial Library”? is an understate- ment. ’ Many West’ Vancouverites are shocked at. the building that is ‘being widely called ‘‘the Fort’’ or “the Prison.’? Look at some of the windows. The background monstrosity is interesting. An offer to provide $20,000 of free initial architectural design for to this a library addition was brought to - Publisher... Managing Editor . Associate Editor __. Sales & Marketing Director Comptroller the West Vancouver Council, who displayed much enthusiasm for ._... Peter Speck Timothy Renshaw -Noel Wright Linda Stewart Doug Foot this bounty. In open debate, I suggested that. plans for such a_ prestigious, highly visible, and much-used building as the library should have a design competition open to all B.C. architects, with a suitable panel selecting the most appealing design, and the winner providing the architectural work. This suggestion was down unanimously. In 30 years of association with architects, developers. and build- ers, I liave never seen either a plan turned Display Advertising 980-0511 Real Estate Advertising $85-6982 Classified Advertising 986-6222 Newsroom 985-2131 Distribution Subscriptions 986-1337 Fax Administration 985-2131 # ‘or a building where an unsightly large-diameter copper downpipe was in the middle of the main front facade. Our library is truly unique in this aspect. “Garden beds’ and ivy can never cover the battleship grey of this concrete ‘‘prison/fort,’? more tasteless. than many utilitarian factory buildings J have’seen. And some farge areas of un- finished, raw concrete walls inside the building do not improve the interior. Lionel Lewis West Vancouver o, uP This newspaper contains tecycied libre Norin Shore managed 986-1337 985-3227 MEMBER WHATEVER HAPPENED to the Reform Party? That's the question everyone is suddenly asking these days. Ina way it’s a good sign. If you disappear and nobody even notices, you’re in real trouble. One problem for Reform —- currently mired at about 8% n2- tionally, thoygh undoubtedly stronger in the western provinces — is, of course, simply money. This year to date the party has reportedly raised some $6 million for its war chest. But that’s still only about a fifth of what each of the two major parties will spend, Meanwhile, Reform has been allocated only 17 minutes of TV time (Tories and Grits have at least twice as much). And the in- famous gag law, Bill C-114, limiting non-party individuals and groups to a maximum of $1,000 advertising on pain of five years jail, severely limits potential out- side support during the election campaign. Understandably, therefore, the party strategists are anxious to keep their powder dry and avoid frittering away their precious’ bucks uselessly until the main bat- tle begins. This caution is undoubtedly fed by the temporarily revived love affair between the public and Prime Minister Kim Campbell since her past in the G7 economic - summit last month in Tokyo. Last week’s poll showed her with a 48% risks better than being invisible. , approval compared to 28% for Jean Chretien. | “*Let her peak too soon,’’ seems to be Reform’s game plan. ‘‘Ouice the election heat is on, we'll con- centrate all our carefully hoarded resources on bringing her down.”’ The danger in all this for Preston Manning, however, is that he has already contributed too successfully to his chief rival, Since Kim took over, the Tories have been brazenly stealing cor- nerstones of the Reform platform — a smaller cabinet, civil service cuts, a tightening up of immigra- tion, signs of a toughez line on criminals and a promise to elimi- nate the deficit within five years. Asa result, disgruntled former Tories who defected to the Reform Party can now be wooed back with the argument that there’s no real difference between Noel Wright HITHER AND YON _ public — the perception of Reform as a party overly anxious < to be all things to all people. In. other words, a party. “‘just like all, the others... ; _ But there are policy areas which «- . none of the old-line parties dare touch, although of key importaice’ to many actual and potential. Reform supporters. Among them: the Constitution and the constant bribing of Quebec; curbs on lob- bies and special-interest groups; moral issues like gay rights, capi-.. tal punishment and abortion, | The downplaying of such sub- | - jects coincides with the recent (and. rather odd) naming ofa former Trudeau Liberal apparatchik, Rick . Anderson, as campaign director... He stresses the avoidance of all | confrontation and a bland, non- specific approach to fiscal issues. | -This philosophy contrasts. ~ ’ sharply with that of Manning’s earlier and gutsier advisers like’ Tom Flanagan and Stephen Harper who played key roles in» mounting their leader's highly. . +: successful ‘‘No”’ campaign duriag last fall’s Charlottetown referen- | dum. : ys Doge Provocatively expressed princi- -; ples can win what the Reform Party badly lacks right now — continuing major media exposure. Sure, it brings risks. But in poli tics that’s better than being invi bie! : ; eee . fen TAILPIECES: West Van Her- . mony Acts Festival continues through Sunday with ArtBeat Tours starting at 1ia.m. daily | - from the Ferry Building and Dun-: _darave Pier. On Thursday Ingann Kemb?z talks on choosing art for your home (noon, Ferry building lawn), Brassmith plays Dixie to Big Band (7 p.m. Ambleside Park) and Muibury Street Sazz Band swings at 8:30 p.m. on Dundarave : Pier... Saturday, Aug.14, sees the Vancouver Symphony perfor- ming ‘‘Orchestral Manoeuvres’? on Whistler Mountain — tickets from 280-4444 (Ticketmaster) or - call 876-3434 for info... Anda _ grand 101-candle birthday salute” today, Aug.11, to Emile Sharman North Shore News, founded in 1969 as an independent suburban newspaper and qualified under Schedule 111, Paragraph til of the Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday oy North Shore Free Press Lid. and distributed to every door on the North Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No, 0087238. Mailing rales available on request. Submissions are welcome but we cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material including manuscripts and pictures which should ba accompanied by a stamped, seilf-self- addressed envelope. fT the PC andthe RP. So don’t split of Inglewood Lodge, a West Van ~- SF SR. the vote and let in the dreadful resident for 68 years. : q Grits. Come back home to Kim’s * e . ! Be n new-look Tories. WRIGHT OR WRONG: They 4139 Lonsdale Avenue, ~ SDA DIVISION = Along with this hijacking of who risk nothing, do nothing, North Vancouver, B.C. Reform policy items, however, a have nothing, are nothing. Only». V7M 2H4 . More dangerous perception has those who risk are free. 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday) “ begun to develop among the aa in cenit PROT! Entire contents © 1993 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.