A6 - Wednesday, March 16, 1983 - North Shore News Risky secrets The accusation of “secrecy” levelled against North Vancouver City council by Alderman Stella Jo Dean should not be dismissed too lightly by her council colleagues. Alderman Dean's specific charge related to the longstanding practice of City council in holding closed sessions on sensitive topics, with public and press excluded, at the end of its regular weekly meetings. Later (sometimes much later) in the evening council emerges to give a brief summary of its decisions to a usually empty chamber — because by that time everyone has gone home. All councils, of course, hold periodic in camera sessions. The B.C. Municipal Act categorically authorizes such “special meetings”, as they are termed, with public and media barred. And the Act likewise permits the minutes of such meetings to be withheld from the public if council deems that to be “in the public interest.” It may sometimes be justifiable to handle certain subjects in confidence, at least temporarily. Examples are land matters opportunity to make fast bucks, and personnel questions where premature disclosure could unfairly harm individuals. Nevertheless, there are prave dangers, not only for the electorate but also for the elected, in making secrecy a habit rather than an exception. The basic “public interest” requires that taxpayers know as fully as possible at all times what their council is up to. Denying them this right too frequently is the fastest way for any council to lose the trust of its voters — and to face the inevitable retribution on polling day. Restrained? Premier Bennett wore his tuxedo last Wednesday as dinner guest of the Queen. His head table appearance the next night wearing a plain business suit at the Prime Minister's state dinner for Her Majesty has been described as “practising restraint”. We wonder could it also have been Mr. Bennett's restrained version of the one-finger salute to his host? BPE VESTS OF MOET EN Ae WEST VARTOUVER sunday..- rm Po\V VG Display Advertising 980-0511 teeta e lalla meee Classified Advertising 986-6222 news Newsroom 985-2131 Circulation 986 1337 1139 Lonsdate Ave North Vancouver BC VIM 2H4 Publisher Peter ‘oper h Associate Publisher bac otoerrt (ar atrearny Editor in chief Nool Wright Advertising Owector Jin bane an Personnol Director Mrs Berns hilbard Circulation Director tiriars At Ibs Production Director C tes dota Ofttice Manager Oona Cae atively Verner y brestercss North Shore Nowe to ced me FO ah ar ec heemident ener aaty vere eg etprert amend ope aettetvarcd Contchern Soe Beeve ty be UM boca UN boar mg gr cage? Wt tte taacane Tan Act oan pautitintiedd Gach Werddaschay arid ecaaany bey Neer ths LAC sO YT | co co eT TL TT “oP as Spee coed © lan Maal Meqgentiateon Norntien iit bate contents 1982 North Shore froe Prose Lid All rights -one:vod “eestome répptecwin Naor tt) ack Wont vane ceva boo pre year Maulry cates availabe cn cacquusernt ny Nee ad nate, a ' ” ete roate . en Ce CO yet wee a we? Poot vine th to GC Ut ATHON 84 543 Wednesday °4 003 Sunday ey sm & THIS PAPER IS RECYCLABLE Photography Manager MAINSTREAM CANADA FINALLY, Jean-Claude Parrot has come up with a sensible proposition. After years of fighting and striking for one massive salary in- crease after another, the leader of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers suggests the latest round of postal rate increases should An 8-year dream By W. ROGER WORTH be postponed until service improves. What’s amazing is that Parrot openly admits the country’s postal service leaves something to be desired, no matter the ex- AFTER MORE DECADES than I care to reveal I can still te a reef knot that gets tighter and tighter the harder you pull on it — and light a fire with two short sticks (preferably the kind manufac- tured by the Eddy Company). Virtues learned in adolescence last a lifetime. Happy memories of my own distant adolescence flooded back the other day as I previewed a remarkable 20 minute multi umage shde show inp West) Vancouver winch you can see this week and next week on local cable TV Its being presented by the rd West Van Scout Group and tts subject ts an cight year old) dream which in finite hard work by the Scouts themselves backed by individual and = com munity) gencrosily has brought to within sax months of final realization The dream the Hollyburn Ridge scout cabin It began wheno the has Group back tn Sc oul rnitidated preliminary nepolations with West Van municipality for the struction of a con fixcality that would cnable local Beavers. Cubs Scouts Venturers and Rovers to take advantage of the tremendous potential for outdoor experiences mebt in them ouown backyard, Hollybarn Ridge In the way these things po the caploratory talks hall deagecd oa for three years anlaogs with tune ipa In December IU’ the muntoipality fiaally Ka veo approval ino principle fos the brutldting of a Scout Kode bat was still the onder catun oan the paticonec of the day A turther three years were taken up with negotiabons to determine the size, design and Jcoaton of the building It wasn't untt! the ecarher part of fast year that the ptans were finalized, the lease was signed and construction was ready to po ahead Meanwhile, (here was the fitthe question of the moncy In 1983 dollars the cost: of completing the project ts bow running at around one hundred grand To date the reached a total of about $77 OOO) a healthy share of it peovided over Che years by their parents through Christmas tice sales, manure kitty has the boys and themselves sales firewood sales and similar coterprises Contributtons have also been received = from in dividuals and service clubs, plus a grant of $15 000 from the Vancouver Foundation And goods and sorvices valued at over $20 OOO have been donated by peuple hhe architect Keath fewing whe preparcad the plans and former mayor Peter Jones did the Cc Hnylnccrinap whe structural fo mention onby This os the kind of pouns that makes a caring Involved community tick Nine trertdalitag port at two cffeoet HOS aes the last ke a pensive surveys and ad- vertisements placed by the post office to inform us otherwise. For if the postal service is something less than efficient (and just ask any small firm waiting for a important order or cheque whether that’s the case), it is difficult not to lay the blame on the people who sort ard deliver the mail. And many of these in- dividuals are Parrot's members. Parrot and the postal workers, of course, blame all the problems on Management. They don't seem to understand that by using strikes and the threat of strikes to win more than $23,000 per year for em- Pployees, that the post office is going to lose big money. which will have to be paid by taxpayers. Last year that loss was about $660-milion, com- pared to a surplus (or profit) of $710-million for the But wages are only one factor. Parrot, for example, claims it is illegal to lay off postal workers, even though they aren't needed when mail volume drops, as it has . in the last few years. So postal employees end up doing less work for the same money. With such costly agreements it 1s not hard to understand why our posties are being asked to pay $2.50 per week each to support Noel Wright began, with cleanng of the rugged stte by members of the Scout Group. assisted later by a bachhoc And then, the whirlybird Duc to the location of the site, half ao malic from = the closest road access. all basi building = matcnals crete, lumber, roofing = had to be arhifted in by hohoupter, sometimes oa tricky and cven hazardous operation Scout labor did much oof the rough = dirty work backed up by fcastonmals specialized foun dahon pourtng. framing and roofing By last December as the snow decpencd by the day con pro for such gobs as Crime and punishment... Quebec teachers who may again strike and close down the province's school Stystem, even though the law says that option isn’t available. When governments and the employees involved have a monopoly on providing such goods or services (with little or no Competition from the private sector), then unions representing these individuals can hold the public to ransom, which is what has been happening. Parrot, of course, has been a relentiess user of strikes and the threat-to- suike weapon. As a result, the cost to laxpayers, businesses and the country has been tremendous. The union leader is quite correct when he claims that the postal service is not efficient. He is also correct when he suggests any postal rate increase shauld be delayed untl service im- proves. - But taxpayers shouldnt have to foot the bill for additional post office losses. Instead, the postal workers (including those represented by Parrot) should accept salary cuts untH service here reaches the level of efficiency provided by the Posties’ counterparts in other countries. As Gilbert and Sullivan have so aptly put it: “Let the punishment fit the crime”. (CFIB Feature Service} the extenor structure of the attractive three-level cabin, designed to accommodate 30 people. was fully finished Remaining to be done this spning and summer = are wandows, siding, Ws ttation, dry walling, plumbing, fireplace, kitchen facilities and drains. To complete these jobs they need a further $25,000 If it can be raised during the next few months, the first contingents of the some 500 members of the scout movement in West Van can be spending adventure weekends on the Ridge by this fall The fascinating visual story of last year’s building operation is being aired on Cable West TV 10 tomorrow (Thursday, March 17) at 6 JO pm . Sunday (March 20) at 9pm and next Wednesday (March 23) at 8 Wpm And uo you're fond of breathing pure mountain aw. they're holding an open house at the cabin itself this Saturday (March 19) from noon to 3 pm call Jim Stout at 922 2661 for direcasons on how to get there As an investment ins the quality of tomorrow's West Van citizens, the cabin on Hollyburn Rrdge tooks hke producing some pretty sold returns for ycars to come If you d like a share in that investment, the address for tax dcductble donations 1s West Vancouver Scout Cabin Fund PQ Box 91025 Went Vancouver BOC VIV INI