4 — Friday, September 4, 1992 - North Shore News The secret’s out: I SEE that a number of people are going around blabbing about what 2 great place British Columbia is. Since they do their chattering in Macican's magazine, with sales of more than half a million copies a week, naturally the secret will get out to quite a few human beings-- pretty well every Canadian who can read. ‘The rest can goggle at the pic- tures and get a fairly accurate idea. Inevitably, this will lead to the usual response from British Col- umbians: round up every copy you can find across the country and burn the damned things. By now B.C.’s “‘secret’’ is roughly as secret as Fergie's chest. But we British Columbians still see ourselves as our province’s chaperones, zealously —- and jeal- ously — protecting her beauty and virtue. And we don't welcome help from newcomers, having newcome ourselves at some point and hav- ing speedily decided thai, as the English say, ‘‘I’ m all right, Jack, pull up the rope.” Anyway, I admit to a certain caution about the media’s “discovery”’ of a place, which, as any Indian could tell, was in fact discovered quite a while ago. I’m reminded, for example, that in its April issue Vanesuver mag- azine discovered that its readers’ _ choice. of Best European Restau- rant was the William Tell, but the “surprising’’ second choice, only six votes behind, was West Van- couver’s Chesa. This is no surprise at all to Chesa’s aficionados, though it might shock tasters and magazine editors with the faith that no real- ly top restaurant can exist outside of the boundaries of the city of Vancouver. Still, it’s good that Vancouver took note, though I hope it doesn’t blab this particular secrct around too much. Could spoil my lunch (choose the bargain lunch special at Chesa and I doubi that you could ever go wrong), But back to Maclean’s, The ex- celfent keynote essay in the B.C. issue is by Peter C. Newman, liv- ing proof that a top national journalist can Hive in the North Shore’s Dcep Cove and still retain that tile. (Newman wittily admits to returning happily to Toronto ‘ton- ly on alternate leap years,”? which means that he returns there unhappily about 95 times in be- tween, because he keeps in per- sonal touch with the Canadian business elite through monthly visits crammed with appointments and interviews. But to say so would spoil a funny line.) Another favorite columnist of mine, Diane Francis, is somewhat more hard-headed about our pro- vince. But you'd expect that from an easternex, wouldn’t you, For that reason, although her piece bulges with her customary facts and figures unknown to most B.C. readers themselves, she doesn’t quite get the frame right. To wit: she describes our pro- vince as ‘postcard pretty.’’ And she calls our climate “‘moderate."’ Global community addressed JOE KRESSE, a board. of director of the foundation for global community, formerly called Beyond War, is sched- uled to speak on Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the YMCA, ‘1735 Inglewood Ave, in West Van- couver. . Kresse’s speech, What Is Global Community and Why Do We Need it?, will address issues none the global com- muni : owe feel this is a unique ‘opportunity for local people to hear a very capable speaker on. _ the topic of global community aud. estimate that a large “number of North Shore. people would be interested and might benefit from hearing Joe's talk,’? said event organizer David van Stolk. He added that Kresse will present ‘‘an optional direction for a future we feel is worth working towards given our present, somewhat confused picture of a world we expect to leave our children.’’ There will also be a question and answer session following Kresse’s presentation. Admission to the even: will be $5. For more information, cali “9RS-9415. - FALL ‘92, aS GUIDE West Vancouver Parks & aM Cenwe ioe sas 776-22nd Stect ie Recreaton Conte 926-326 700-22nd Sreet at any of the facilities listed below. E s Harbour 21-7425 926-4375 5575 Merina Drive. 708 tds Sroet 695-2 1st Sreet "FULL Your Fall with Furl’ Trevor Lautens GARDEN OF BIASES The latter will be news to denizens of all but the tiny lower left-hand cornez of B.C., and will draw a chuckie in the outhouses in January around, say, Redstone, or for that matter in Lytton in July. I can personally attest thai a iong cold snap can keep snow on the ground a jot longer in Shaughnessy than even in the False Creek area, scarcely a dozen blocks away. And, as North Shore residents know, the higher reaches of Brit- ish Properties are simply another climate zone away from places like my own west-facing neigh- borhood near the water. The fact is that the climate in all but a relatively few square miles of B.C. is wretchedly im- moderate, like that of 95% of the rest of Canada, which is why I avoid going there — not even in Newman’s “‘aiternative leap years.” Still, it won’t hurt our image that Diane Francis writes that B.C, ‘may be North America’s Switzerland and Vancouver Island Canada’s Florida.” The reality? As to the first, well, yes, if you allow that we produce no clocks PATTERNS | VOGUE, BUTTERICK, a McCALLS and BURDA, = Allin store stock SALEBUY1GETIFREE @ “Members BUY 1 GET 44 When I fly over B.C., I always think that this would be very hard real estate to fall on.¥3 but plenty of cuckoos. As to the second analogy, Miss Francis may be thinking of, and confused by, the high winds. In Florida they’re caused by Hurricane Andrew. In B.C. they’re caused by Hurricane Har- court — whooshing off in a plane . to somewhere else. Our premier seems to think that the best pitch he can make for B.C. is by getting out of the place as often as possible, especially when its residents want him around to explain what’s on his mind, if any, on the Constitution. But 1 raise mere nits. I’d raise only one more: most of B.C. has never struck me as “postcard pretty.’”’ In fact its frowning mountains and huge stands of dark, threaten- ing trees that never drop their leaves — I believe they're called evergreens — impressed me as uninviting if not hostile when I came here in 1963. And still do. Tbsen-ish, I called them, but maybe nobody reads Ibsen much any more. “Pretty” is just not the sight adjective. The countryside, farmhouses and villages of Ontario in my youth — now that scene was pret- ty. When, for instance, | fly over B.C., f always think that this would be very hard real estate to fall on, 2° L always urge the pilot to drive carefully. However, although ! don’t normally make snap judgments, SEWING NOTIONS & Allin store stock valued to 2 FREEG (of equal or issser value) ; .- after 29 years here { wouldn't disagree with indispensable broad- caster Rafe Mair — another North Shore resident featured in Mactean’s — who said that “there are other cities like Vancouver, but I don’t think there are any better.” Well, perhaps other than my house town of Hamilton, Ontario, known the world over as ‘‘the Paris of Canada.”’ FREE BOOKLET One often hears Canadians com- piaining about the high amount of tax Uvey pay. What many individu- als do not realize is that simply by = 7 structuring their invextments care- fully, they car pay far less tax. This guide will provide you with ideas for saving tax through your investment program. Cali today to receive your com- plimentary booklet. “Mark Ocachof. | 661-7433