Time to gamble ill] Vander Zalm’s best chance of still being premier in 1991 lies in an early fall election. The problems facing B.C. after Expo can only continue to erode support for a jaded government three-and-a-half years old. The four ministers who've quit before their new boss is seated at his desk have seen the writing on the wall. , The Expo ‘hangover’ will be more than a normal after-the-party letdown. On October 14 thousands of jobs at the fair site itself, even if lowly paid, will abruptly disappear—this, with B.C. unemployment last month already rising above 12 per cent once more. And we still have to receive the final bill for Expo. Meanwhile, long term development of the empty B.C. Place site is on hold due to an over-supply of of- fice space in Vancouver, which is bad news for the suffering construction industry. More major labor conflicts with government and health workers loom in wake of the current IWA strike. And the impact of free trade wheeling and dealing on B.C.’s sensitive, resource-based economy remains a worrying question mark, The biggest election issue, however — and a positive one for the Socreds — is Mr. Vander Zalm himself. Given his wide personal popularity at this point, voters two months hence might reason that they should give him at least one fair chance to show his stuff. A year down the rocky road ahead they could be in a much less charitable mood. A by-election seat in the tired 1983 legislature won't do. The new premier needs a new mandate and new people. As a casino advocate, he’ never have a better time to gamble on winning them than right now. ARITHMETI€:—as befits any millionaire—is clearly one of Premier Bill Vander Zalm's strong points. Hence last week's disappoint- ment for John Reynolds. Basic Vander Zalm arithmetic concerns personal loyalty, counted in units of years rather than hours. Our West Van MLA, himself an carly leadership contender, climbed on the Vander Z.alm bandwagon only after losing out in the second ballot. So he was automatically way back in the line-up for ministerial goodies behind ftongtime Vander Zalm boosters like North Van-Seymour MLA Jack Davis and Surrey MLAs Photo submitted JESSIE LESLIE ... first century not at all bad! Bill Reid and Rita Johnson—aow rewarded with the three vacant cabinet seats. In Jack's case, his talent and experience could hardly have been disregarded, even if he hadn't backed Bill for five years. Other Vander Zalm arithmetic, of course, is simply a matter of coun- ting heads. With almost two and a half times as many votes as his NDP opponent in the 1983 election, John Reynolds holds, for the moment, just about the ‘safest’? Socred seat in the province and it's untikely to be lost merely because its incumbent doesn't yet have a portfolio. No wor- ries for Bill there—though it seems MLAs can sometimes do too well at the polls for their own goad. So John shouldn't be too despon- dent. Nothing personal on Bill's part—just cold political math, Get the sums right and your tura will come! on & GRAND OLD LADY of the week is Jessie Leslie (nee Reynolds) of North Van who'll be feted tomorrow (August 18) on her 100th birthday at Lions Gate Hospital's Evergreen House, where she now fives. Born in England, she entered private service in the London of the “Upstairs, Downstairs’’ era at the tender age of 12 and progressed to become a professional cook. At 25 she immigrated to Montreal where, three years later, she married Alex Leslie from Aberdeen, Scotland, who died in 1958. From their children—Gwen Nichol oF Hamilton, Ont., Hazel Garnett of LETTER OF THE DAY TV on Dear Editor: I was surprised to read the letter from Mrs. Bunbury in your recent edition of North Shore News, in which she queried whether Doug Collins had ever set foot in South Africa and what right he had to state opinions about that country. Does Mrs. Bunbury not realize \frica that millions of Canadians, who know little of S. Africa, let alone have set foot in the country, are not only stating opinions but tak- ing action in the form of sanctions against South Africa? Mrs. Bun- bury states she believes in free enterprise and sanctions. Surely a contradiction in terms. J am a South African here on VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER SUNDAY . WEDNESDAY . IDAY 1139 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4 57,656 taverage Wedeesdiy Friday % Gurdays ’ JACK DAVIS ... talent brought in from the cold. JOHN REYNOLDS ... lost to cold political math. Display Advertising 980-0511 Classified Advertising 986-6222 Newsroom 985-2131 Distribution 986-1337 Subscriptions 986-1337 North Shore News, 6.0 ts Publisher: Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Advertising Director Peter Speck. Noel Wrgtt Barrett Fisher tinda Stewart fntte contents TORE Narn Shore fies Press Lid Ait y PIGS pec ervesd ae wo Bos the NEWS photo Mike Waketlald THOSE WERE THE DAYS ... Argyle Clas, of ‘65 grads (I to r) Carole Kaiser, Lee Keane, Jennifer Orum, Margaret Ishii and Bob Wyllie browse through their year book prior to this week's Class Reunion, August 22- 24, All ‘65 teachers, grads, ‘‘near-prads’* and friends welcome — call 929-7547 or 987-6363 for info. Noel Wright North Van and son John, who died in 1982—she now has 13 grand- children and 23 great-grandchildren. Active throughout her life in Canada in various fraternal organizations, she's a 60-year member and Past Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star, a Past President of the True Kindred, a Past Queen of the Daughters of the Nile and Past President of the Kar- nak Ladies Club. During her years in Montreal she was also active in the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children and is presently a member of St. Andrew's United Chureh in North Van. ‘ Not bad at all for the once youngest maidservant’s first century. Warmest wishes for your second, Jessie! aes HITHER AND YON: For more than six decades pioneer residents Foe and Jean Yearsley, who celebrated their ‘Golden S0th’’ with @® Sunday brurch friends and relatives last Tuesday, turned their backs on the North Shore for only one important oceasion—their 1936 wedding in Bellingham, Jean, 93 and born in Scotland, has lived in North Van since 1919, Joe, 86 and from Cheshire, England, arrived here in 1924 and for 32 years worked for B.C. Electrice/B.C. Hydro until retir- ing in 1965 ... Last week we praised the dinner (“a triumph of finger- food cuisine’’) served August 2 at the Miss North Shore Pageant ball in Cap Mall. This week we're cating crow, The deli was not cooked up and served by the Moodyville Lions, as mistakenly assumed, but by Heinz Reinhard's Raliy Point Catering on Pemberton. Sorry about that, Heinz, but your attentive staff /ooked like Lions! ... Re-elected veepee of the American Handwriting Analysis Foundation at the recent interna- Honal graphologists’ convention at UBC was West Van's Robyn Smith, is ‘one-sided n holiday and have been impressed by the beauty and cleanliness of your province and by the friendliness and courtesy of the people here. What puzzled me, however, is the ignorance of South African problems: that is until I had view- ed some of the local TV news tele- casts. They are so hopelessly biased against S. Africa that 1 began to realize why this phobia exists. I! am no supporter of the Na- tionalist Government and have been totally opposed to them since they first came to power in 1948. It does, nevertheless, rile me to hear such one-sided nonsense aired on president of the B.C. Chapter. Other North Shore handwriting sleuths at- tending were Renate Griffiths, Jean Johnson and Margaret Paine ... Political activist Richard Blackburn (BRUNCH, August 3) has bowed out of the race for the provincial Liberal candidacy in North Van- Seymour—having meanwhile landed the manager's job at a big new prin- ting plant. Instead, he'll be working the smoke-filled (or are they now smoke-free?) backrooms in support of Rev. Michael Karabelas’s nomina- tion bid ... The newly launched Kiwanis Club of Capilano—for seniors only—has chosen West Van realtor Ralf Wickberg as its first president. His elected back-up in- cludes veepees Robert Fulten and Dal Rhodes, and treasurer Ralph Suair, all of West Van, plus secretary Richard Daly of North Van (call him at 984-2497 for info)... And belated birthday wishes to North Van's sprightly Jenny May Cairns—90 on Friday and a Bill Vander Zalm fan, who sull gardens, does handicrafts and walks daily the one and a half miles to Lynn Valley Centre and back from her Lauralynn Drive home. or o WRIGHT OR) WRONG—Then there was the small-town mayor who put the following sign on the coun- cil chamber door: ‘Due to the heavy agenda we respectfully request that anyone wishing to insult council limit himself to 10 minutes or 10 insults, whichever is shorter.’ nsense TV with never a contradictory word. Surely there are two sides in any dispute? Incidentally, your headline er- tor: Mrs. Bunbury is Canadian not South African. Brian Ambler North Vancouver