6 ~ Sunday, May 17, 1998 — North Shore News S it time to throw a bucket of water on the Hose and Reel Festival? The ~annual day-long event begins cach year with a. parade along Lonsdale Avenue. From there, it’s on to Mahon Park for an afternoon of firefighter skills competitions, children’s ‘enter- tainment and (allegedly) fun for the whole family. But over ‘the years that fun line has been. blurred by a raucous and, at times, violent beer garden. This vear’s Hose and Reel Festival was no exception as a number of arrests “preceded the closing of the outdoor beer garden in the late afternoon. “Later that night, North Van RCMP. . had to clear out the jail cells for a new group. of arrested individuals — fresh from a fight: at the Hose and Reel “dance. ’ Billed asa family event, there. are few north shore news VIEWPOINT Hosed and reeling parents who would have waded into the beer garden last weekend. Pot smoke waited through the crowd, and as the day. wore on drunks began to exercise, both verbally and_ physically, their wobbly wills. Over 100 kegs were consumed in a six-hour period. The once popular Sea Festival in Vancouver died a quict death a few years ago, and many credit its demise to the closing of its beer garden. Would the Hose and Reel Festival suffer the same fate if the beer garden was abol- ished. Unlikely. . Hundreds of families: tir line Lonsdale -Avenue for the pirade, but many skip. the Mahon Park festivities because of | the beer garden environment. That’s a | ’ shame. ; Firefighters are a visible part of our. community; they should take more... hom we .. £ “Allittakes is the smell of scotch, the cold feel ofa icather couch or the taste of orange juice to bring back the most dis- gusting and repulsive images.” ‘A 2z-vear-old North’ Shore woman describing the way childhood ‘sexual abuse continues'to affect ber daily life. (From : , a victim m impact statement, published May 6 in the News.) oe 090, 2 “Basically my catvboy boor saved my foor from being “completely squashed.” : Randy, Hearst, 38, who was hit by a bus travelling along 15th Street in North Vancouver, on how his injuries were min- 2 imized. (From 2 ob t May. 13 News story. a : e rc dinner table every: time the tide went out, din- ner was set.” * 3 Taleil- Want Doug Abberley, describing Burrard Inlet and _ what it was for the Burrard Band before it was degraded by industr: and urbanization. (From: ‘a May 15 News story. J ae @ hope we can all rise ‘to the statu of the Spice Girls one day.” Odds guitarist and singer Craig Northey siggesting that a ‘Canadian content rule for radio airplay doesn’t guarantee onusical stardom. (From a May I5 News ary } wT: “When it it comes to water quality, we had the best tasting. “water. Now everyone has to have Brittas and : filters ‘and. «everything else.” ; North Vancouver City councillor Barbara Sharp. support. ing a motion opposing any further logging’ in: ‘North Shore 7 : warcisheds. (From. a May 15 News story. y- vet -OGO _: : + STF I'm sitting ata table witha smoker, how do you Pre- vent smoking from getting in my face?” ‘North Vancotever City councillor Bob varniey “reacting to Hey bosptaliy industry lablying for improved ventilation rather than a ban on snzoking in pbc Placeslyt the year 2000. (From a Mayl3 13 News story. a : north’ shore § Nan Shore News, founded in 196935 an, responsibility in policing their event. REALLY ? "AND WHAT MAKES You SAX WE RE NOT TAKING THESE FISH TALKS SEeRioUusiX? ‘Don’t bank yet on. mega- -ban (S “BIG is better” ... Is it really? How much better? And better for whom, precisely? Those are the questions flooding in from the simple-minded peasants following announcements of the - proposed mega-bank mergers — in January, the Royal Bank with Rank of Montreal; in April, the CIBC" with Toronto Dominion. We won’t know until fall or later whether Finance Minister Paul Martin will allow them, no matter how much money talks. All that’s certain is that his final deci- -Sion will be preceded by months of high- priced, high-pressure lobbying, 5y° the corporate applicants. Nort that the opposition will be sitting on its hands cither. Fighting the mergers _ -tooth and nail are the NDP, the Council of Canadians (fresh from helping scuttle the Multilateral Agreement on ‘«Investment), the Canadian Federation of ‘Independent Business (CFIB), the _. Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC), the Public Interest Advocacy _! Centre (PIAC) and the Canadian Labor - Congress (CLC). Nor do you have to be lefewing to be - leer: ry of the proposed mergers. Even Bank of Nova Scotia chairman Peter Godsce, head of Canada’s only remaining “big five” bank nor yet involved, has hinted he may yet join the anti-merger lobby. Considering the deep suspicion about ‘ndepéndent suburban newspaper and quaiied =. under Schedule 111, Paragraph 11 of the Excise Tax Act, ts published each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shere Free Press Lid. and distributed to every door on the North ‘Shore. Canada Post Canadizs: Publications Mat - ; Sales Proguct Agreement No. 0027238.“ “The: North, Shore: Wews Is published by North Shore Free Press Ltd.,: Pubilsher Pater Speck, the proposed mergers harbored by masses of the Great Unwashed, Godsoe may be ~ thinking smart. Switch to the one big Canadian bank remaining, he beckons, where service and . - customer relations will’ be unchanged! If the mergers go through, the nwo ‘merged mega-banks will control 60-70% of Canada’s core banking assets. They will be among the 10 largest banks in North . America. ’ And, according to Martin, they will bring about a greater concen- tration of banking in Canada than in any other major country except the and yon Netherlands. None of which, however, - answers the single most important ques- tion for the bank’s individual customer: what’s in it for me? It’s the question merger promoters, challenged in media i interviews, always . eC. They extol the “efficiency” benefits promised by merged (and galloping) technology, the competitive benefits of size ina global market and the benefits to. : same day for birthda shareholders. But ask what all this does for the fami- ly man with a bi-weekly pay cheque, a mortgage and a modest RRSP, and watch °. them bob, weave and duck. The primary goal of the two proposed mega-mergers being to further swell the . banks’ already richly swollen botrom lines, the drive will clearly be on to fire”. “overlapping” staff, close “overlapping”. : branches and beef up electronic banki “— from more and more teller machines to exciting new gizmos like! “smart” card _ which eliminate cash, altogethe How else to In short, less di tact with him: More unemplo And quite likely, you to do those oad ft : lesa Finance ‘Minister: Mart obviously has exactly the'same conc He’s made it cryscal cléar to th er applicants that; there'll be nces.issucd, unless ‘th ‘fears about layorts, branc inferior customer service ing to know that convincing. Mr: M; big'is berter for everybody rem one thing Canada’s “big four” changers ca can’t yet bank on : 900 row, May.18, 10 West Van Kiw: Graham Senner ... A. special 75-< birthday salute Tuesday, May} ‘d West Van painter. ; Lights 9! West Van pioncer no’ Kiwanis Care Centre on Mt. Seybur “Wish happy 56th birthday to West. movie producer Gay? ayne WRIGHT OR WRON To leave yor footprints on the. Ft work boots! LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: - .. Letters must include your name, full address & telephone number. -- Tunethy Rensks Managing Editor 965-2131 (116) internat: http//www.nsnews.com - VIA e-mait trenshaw @ dicect.ca 985-2131 (114) Andrew McCredia = Sporte/Commenity * 985-2131 (147) from 1139 Lonsdale Avenue North Vancouver, &