=== MAIL BOox——

Resident trash is
the bear probie

Dear Editor:
1 was pleased to read the two letters regarding bears
“Residents should bear-proof trash” and “Bears cat berries,
that’s what they do,” printed in your issue (Sept. 8, 2000.)

Lam so glad to read that Lam not alone in how I feel about
our local bears and the garbage problem caused by area resi-
dents.

Tam a resident of Deep Cove and | am furious with my fel-
low North Shore neighbours who insist on putting out ‘their
garbage the night before or leaving their bins outside all the
time. J am glad that someone else with a heart beat me to the
tirade.

{ have had bears in my backyard. Twice, in fact.
Unfortunately, they were on the way to the neighbour’ 's garbage
bins. U thought of calling the police or the conservation officers,
Sut who could this bear be endangering at 3:45 a.m.? So I did-
n't cali. [ just listened to this gentle beast go about its misdi-
rected business, thinking how fortunate I am to live in such a
wild place. I live ina little community tucked in amongst the for-
est at the base ofa wild space called the North Shore mountains.
It's no wonder that these creatures come down to our neigh-
bourhood. ft’s their neighbourhood too.

The end result of their little foray into the forbidden people
zone: one bear was “disposed of” because it was a nuisance to its
fellow neighbours and one got away. Thank goodness for that.

For a couple of weeks now I have dreamed of printing mes-

Sages and pasting them to the lids of the garbage can oftenders
who just don’t get it

In what self-centred and secluded world do they live in that
they don't hear about our bear problem here on the North
Shore? I drive home along Dollarton’ Highway at 6:30 p.m.
everyday and continue to see people putting their garbaye out at

_ the curb the night before pick-up. .

Just the other morning I looked out my back window to see

. a garbage bag of mess, strewn about my yard. In our fane that
- same morning, the neighbour's bins (which are kept in the open
carport) were equally.a mess. Perchance could this have been
another of our neighbourhood bears? By golly, I think it might
have been. Not only is it a mess for me to clean-up but it is a
meal they unthinkingly put there for the bears.

Tam doing what [ am supposed to do in order to keep brows-

” ing, bears out of our neighbourhood. I suppose it is my duty as
a member of this community to inform. my neighbours about
their irresponsible actions. This letter and those before me are

= -just.the beginning. -

ooo, Next week the labelling campaign begins. What a shame to
think. that. those bears had to di ie because. some people don’t
think they are the cause of the problem.

Let's stop. blaming: the irresponsible actions of our local -

= police force or conservation officers for not knowing the differ-
ence between a real threat and a bear. Let's tell each other to
“s smarten up and fix the problem where it starts, in our own back-

for moms,
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pS
: Pc: Madeleine & 13 pont old Eshan Y)
a Toe Kuddtes g

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advertonal, September 13, 2000

PARLIAMENT RESUMES

Parliament resumes sitting next
Monday for what may well be the last
session before a federal etection in the
Spring of 2001. With this in mind, it will
be interesting to watch how the
priorities of the Liberal Government
unfold over the next few months,
especially now that the new Leader of
the Canadian Alliance, Stockwell Day,
has won a seat in the House of
Commons. If you are a “political junkie"
you can watch the proceedings in the
House on Cable Channel §8 here on the
North Shore. The “highlight" of the day
is Question Period, which occurs at
11.15am Vancouver time Monday
through Thursday, and at 8.15am
Vancouver time on Friday.

GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES
My best guess as to the priorities of Mr
Chretien's Government between now and
the beginning of April, is that there will be

I very little legislative activity, coupled with a

major shift towards pre-election posturing.
i would not be the least bit surprised to see
cabinet ministers touring the country in
order to dispense grants and handouts
(using your money of course), as well as
to announce a host of new Government
programs they believe will impress the
voters. In addition, if the election is indeed
delayed until at least the Spring of next
year, we will probably have an opportunity
to witness something very un-Liberat - the
announcement of a larger than expected
tax reduction for middie income earners in

the budget of February 2001. The election -”

strategy will then be one of trying to
persuade you that it is unnecessary to
vote for anyone but the Liberais because
they are “delivering what the Canadian
Alliance has promised". in reality, of
course, as has been the pattern for the
past seven years, that “delivery” is more

f than likely to be a half-measure at best,

phased in over a period of years.

UPDATE ON GUN
REGISTRATION

itis now almost six years since the very
controversial Gun Control Bill (C49)
passed in Parliament. At the time, the
Liberal Government successfully sold the
idea to voters as a crime contro! measure,
and as many of you will remember, | voted
in favour of the Bill when scientific polling
showed around 65% of North Vancouver
residents to be in favour of the Bill.

The passage of time has now raiseci a
lot of questions about the value of the
legislation, both én terms of its: promise to
make Canada a safer piace, and the size

of ‘the bureaucracy involved in the
f administration of the Act. As of this time, it

is estimated that only a very small

| percentage of the total number of firearms
in Canada have actually been registered,”

at enormous cost, and with absolutely no

impact in terms of the incidence of criminal:
_use of guns. in addition, in the entire time -

since the registry was established, the
Minister of Justice has only. been able to
showcase, with much public fanfare, ONE
example of what she claimed was proof

| that the registry could intercept criminal

activity. That: example later backfired on
the Minister when it was revealed that the
multiple. registration. was in fact the

Oa ee

completely lawful return from Europe to
Canada cf some World Var | rifles to be
sold to collectors in the United States.

The most common statement | hear
these days from those who still support the
registry is that “Cars are registered, so
why not register the guns?" Weil, ail
handguns, the weapon of choice for
criminals, have been registered in Canada
since the 1930s, yet police represen-
tatives to Parliamentary committees have
been unable to identify a single crime
which was either solved or prevented as a
result of that registry. Legitimate owners of
rifles and shotguns, who already had to
obtain a license, in the form of a Firearms
Acquisition Certificate, have therefore
argued that the new registry is nothing
more than an additional tax on their hobby,
and that the money and bureaucrats
required to run the registry would be better
spent on more police to catch the
criminals.

THE COST TO DATE
So how much has the Liberal Gun
Registry cost? Here is a snapshot of the
Registry, taken on July 19, 2000, as best
could be determined from numerous
Access to Information requests, studies of
budget allocations, and leaked information

from insiders:
$ 5,928,262

= $ 129,068,814

TOTAL = $ 324,743,925

This figure contrasts
dramatically with what was
promised by Alian Rock, the Justice
Minister at the time the Bill was
passed.
Committee on April 24,.1995 that
the total cost over 5 years would be
$118.9 million, less registration
fees of $116.7 million for a net cost
of just $2.2 million.

Money is not the only component of the
Gun Registry of course. There are now
more than 1,700 federal and provincia!
employees working on the registration
system, and there are sti!l at least 80
vacancies waiting to be filled. In summary
then, in five years we have furneled more
than $324 million, and 1,700 government

employees, into a registration system for

the rifles and. shotguns of farmers and

hunters, while our police forces cry out for: |

more funds. to combat crime, and our.

health care system is crumbling. Surely all .

of this money, and the employees charged
with processing the’ tegistrations, many of
whom are’ from: police. forces across:

_ Canada, could have been better utilized |
‘catching criminals: instead . of pushing.

paper.

We should collectively ‘admit that |
the Registry has been a financial.

and administrative disaster,
abandon it, and - return . to "the

effective and’ practical. system: of ]
. icensing, training, and’ recording of |:
: afiing: marks, ‘which existed before

™ ase be a responsible pet”
~ < owner and provide your dog
~ with a protective’ kennel.
fastened to the centre of
your vehicle.’ Better yet,
leave your'd

He told the Justice.

‘ Piano sale

Thinking of buying a piano?
Take advantage of the
exceptional prices being
offered on new and ased
pianos ar the eignth annual
piano sale in support of
Capilano College's Music
Programs. Gran, upright
and digital pianos will be on
sale from September 15 to 17
in the Sportsplex. To make
an appointment, call
451-8817.

> Hot jazz from a

cool place

The Idel Palsson Quintet
will be performing in the
Capilano College
Performing Arts Theatre on .
Fridhy, Seprember 22 at 8 p.m.
This original, yet traditional
jacs quintet is one of
Iceland's premier jazz groups.
For tickets and information,
call 990-7810.

® Art show and sale

Art lovers won't want to
miss Graduated Perspectives,
an exhibition of the Visions
of the North Shore prints, to
be held on October 7 and 8
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in,
the Birch building atrium. ~
The exhibition is an arts
and heritage millennium -

"_ project that, commemorates

and links 12 historically

a.
__ significant sites with

interpretive prints, and

includes a sale of works by.

*. Studio Art and Textile Ars

program alumni.

b Career

information’ -
meetings —

* The Customer Service Skills.
. Pre-Employment Training

program will hold

> vinformation sessions on?”
Tueskay Sepeember 19 and 16°
“at 3 p.m. in the Birch ~
‘ building, room 342. For
‘more information, call
°° Priscilla Stanbury’at
986-1911, ext. 2583. :
_ People with disabilities a are",

encouraped to apply; as are
Employment Insurance. :
recipients and exhaustees.

“The Tourism department

will host an information
meeting for anyone =
interested in learning more
about the Tourism °°",
Management Co-operative
iploma program on..."

“Wednesday, September 27 E
27 pam in the Cedar a

building, foom 148. For =
tote information, call”

984-4960."

CAPILANO