8 — Sunday, October 20, 1996 — North Shore News cart cash Dear Editor: It broke my heart to find out that the major grocery store in my neigh- borhood decided to abolish the coin-operated shopping cart system. Now the general public has absolutely no reason to return their borrowed bug- gies to the lot. I can again look forward to the perpetual parking pain, The entire parking lot is once again strewn with abandoned carts just wait- ing to scratch any old paint job. And yes, we mustn’t forget the poor old shop- ping carts left for dead throughout the immediate neighborhood. These are left behind by — those esteemed ’ residents who push their groceries nearly home and conveniently decide to carry their pur- chase(s) for the last block or two. Why didn’t the grocery ‘chain consider bumping the deposit on ‘Shopping carts to the new, world famous Twoonie? ._ Imagine ‘the orderly fashion the people would exercise in returning their buggies to collect the two- dollar coin. In reality, those of us decent enough to comply with common " sense can count. on ‘three implications to the. new,- “convenient” administra- tion of shopping carts: & We can be sure to con- tinualiy see the carcasses of _ . Cast-away carts littering any * given metropolitan river, | creek or waterway. ' We now have nowhere to Put our shopping ' lists — .“ without the. coin unit we.’ -are_without’ the nifty. list clip, & We can asstime our avio insurance rates}! will - be affected | by. the ‘flood of obstacle course claims. Ever wonder why gluttony is a deadly sin? C. Friesen i North Vancouver Dear Editor: | West Vancouver District Council has approved a bylaw that runs counter to the wishes of the citizens’ of both West Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. It caters to the unrealistic anxieties of ressau- rant owners. The bylaw would designate 30% of restaurant seating for smoking in 1997, 20% in 1998 10% in 1999 and 0% in 2000, f Mainland ‘proposed a compromise that! became a victory for public health: No exposing children to tobacco smoke! The coalition’ proposing this included hotels, bingo, casinos pubs and restaurants. At that time, the restaurant association remained passively quiet. Recently, the restaurant association concocted a case of discrimination against. Vancouver, claiming that all places that serve food and beverages should provide clients equal opportunity to breathe tobacco smoke. This position is contrary to popular wants, according to an extensive survey done by health organiza- : tions iri May 1995, In all regions in the Lower Mainland a majority of 65% sup- ported a complete ban and 31% opposed it. On the North Shore, the support for a no smoking ban in indoor: public places ERES EEL RI RMD KEY The hospitality industries of the Lower x Vv Pr Mae ar aly Spt he EERIE RAINE ATS INS RAN LINESIA TL ODPM Le fray Dear Editor: Your recent editorial description of Murray Dykeman’s role as Mayor of North Vancouver District will make at least some people wonder just how accurately informed our local press is about what has been going on under our own noses for the last six years. We are made to believe that Murray Dykeman as mayor was “mild” and a “nice” kind of person. maybe even too nice at times. But the holes in the emperor's clothes 'tell a different story, There is no question that he was “mild” at B.C. Transit where he represented us without moving his lips instead of fighting for our interests. The result? Fewer buses for the North Shore instead of more buses. And no rapid transit either. When asked why he voted in favor of logging in the watershed while sitting on the Greater Vancouver Regional District Board Murray’s response: “I am not responsible to you.” Was that the voice of a “nice” man or that of a calculating politician kowtowing to the GVRD bureaucracy to further his political career? Te’s true that Murray was extremely accommodat- ing. It just so happens that his accommodations invariably occurre: Shore such as his support of logging in the Seymour Demonstration Forest pushed by the forest giants and now in full swing. ; Neither were these isolated incidents, Every citi- zen in the district has to pay 7.5% of the lease value for the use of district land. Every one that is except a at the expense of our North Citizens want smoki was’ even stronger: 69% for the ban and 26% opposed. North Shore residents indi- cated thar given such a ban, 25% would be more inclined to use restaurants while only 10% would be less likely to go to restau- rants, In the ULS., where thorough, unbiased sstudies have been done when ‘restaurants have gone smoke-free (and bars serving : food in the same community have been permitted smoking), either no effect was found or the restaurants were actually bet- ter off. If the restaurants of Los Angeles and New York can go smoke-free, so can those of the North Shore. ta Why go smoke free? Because second- hand smoke kills non-smokers and disables the non-smokers who are sensitive or aller- gic to tobacco smoke. It is truly discriminatory to prevent a erson from even entering a public place Pecause a powerful allergen and carcinogen has been customarily puffed into that air ‘space. It is even worse to put children at nisk, of respiratory disease, asthma, etc. Second-hand smoke causes trouble and does not belong in public places. Smokers go to movies, they ride on planes, they go to church, yet they smoke in none of these . places. ern ete apr eres epprstett small circle uf property owners on the waterfront in Deep Cove. They are only paying $10 per year. Every attempt on my part to rectify this sweet- heart deal was nixed by Murray Dykeman the Mayor. But there are more holes, Murray's shenanigans to suppress exposure and debate of the mismanagement of the district’s land assets don’t exactly fit your description either and neither docs his acquiescence of allowing district stalf to provide council with biased and misleading reports and then preventing disciplinary action as was the case repeatedly during his tenure. You must have forgotten the overruns at the municipal hall. ; You must have also forgotten the scandal sur- rounding the district land inventory where we got four different figures from staff. And then there are Murray’s shenanigans with the Northlands golf course. The mayor was less than enthusiastic about this project. He much preferred selling the land and using the proceeds to cover operating expenses, a practice that has been going on for many years and which is the same as selling off your children’s heritage so you can live a life of splendor far beyond your means. But trying to kill the golf course which would be politically too risky if done overtly, could be done surreptitiously or through sheer incompeteice. And that is where Murray comes in. According to expert opinion, for “Northlands” to be financially viable, it should be a minimum of 165 acres and should include a driving range, Instead, the district planning department, with the mayor's help, reduced the size by more than 30°: acres. : Key elements such as a money-making driving: range and a full-size club house or at least enough 7 space to build one in the future were eliminated." As a result, there is now a serious danger that. : instead of making money for the municipality > Northlands will become a losing proposition... 3 Bur this is only the tip of the iceberg. His deal- ings, often without council’s knowledge, as was the ..’ case with the Roche Point access issue and involving : the Burrard Band not only cost taxpayers’ money, but was also an acute embarrassment to the rest of council, ; . . It was the Greek Historian Thucydides who sug-.- gested that there was only one reason why history’ .. should be recorded and that is so that people can learn from past mistakes. a ; This, he suggested, could only be accomplished if events were recorded accurately. It-would be tragic.’ indeed if the lesson of the last six years on, district .:° council would be lost for lack of accurate reporting -. or a totally misleading interpretation as to what real-:: ly happened. . ot : It would be ironic if che North Shore News; being aware of the dangers to our democratic’ insti tutions emanating from Victoria and Ottawa, would lose sight of this same threat in our own community. Ernie Crist Loe ; = Councillor District of North Vancouver TREME_ FIGHTING | SAASAN ARNT sae uy Three prominent physicians from West Vancouver wrote to West Van Council, “We have concerns regarding the proposed bylaw which is on the agenda for council this evening. From a health point of view smoking should be banned 100% in public places, The longer we are in practice the . more we sce the devastating effects of chronic exposure to cigarette smoke... Failing this we would recommend that Part 2.6 be modified so thar licensed and unli- censed restaurants where children and young adults are present not be excluded and be subject to the 100% smoking ban immediately,” Yet the council did not respond. If you, the citizens of West Vancouver want your restaurants free of tobacco smoke, as they soon will be in Vancouver and Burnaby, then you had better make it clear to West Vancouver politicians that allowing tobacco smoke in restaurants is unacceptable political behavior in candi- dates who are running for office. Council is next scheduled to consider this matter the evening of Monday, Oct. 21. Frederic Bass, MD, DSc Chairman of BCMA Tobacco and Ilincss Committee, Council of Health Promotion PRA L EAE, Baldr SA SRNL RGA D DED Edd Ie he Dah ot lB deed At A MBI edhe ae ebb lan Dear Editor: Re: The cost of losing our urban reserve. North Vancouver District . taxpayers beware. . I, as a longtime district tax- payer planning to maintain my residence after my retirement, demand that our local elected representatives, with guidance from our employed profes- sionals, calculate and inform us as to how much our prop- erty taxes will increase should our urban reserves in’ the Seymour area be designated park. ; We know that CMHC is looking for $160 million. as. compensation’ and we know that we will be losing. over $200 million at today’s land value. We know that our district hall on Queens Road, the hew district works — yard — in Lynnmour, our sanitary and storm sewer systems plus our electrical distribution systems are all designed for a fully developed North Vancouver District. Is it fair to state, thar if our urban reserves are not devel- oped to full potential as demanded by a tight clique of organized protesters, that our residential taxes will double over the next two years? Perhaps, if you, our present council, are not willing to address. my request, you should allow the land in ques- tion to be moved immediately back to urban reserve to allow future councils a choice as to the disposition of our district land. It is clear that our present’ council is fractured, biased and in two cases follows a personal agenda patronizing outside non-taxpaying fringe organi- zations and showing little | Use NV Distri financial ‘responsibility on behalf of the district taxpay I came to. this, conclusion: by noting behavior of th council members that'is ques- tionable at best.” ; Councillor Crist wants" seawall walk ‘from Cates’ Park to Deep Cove, He coesn’ who will pay for it. 1. He. was” quoted , North Shore News as statin “local residents _get- f about. organizing: pressure’ o council” regarding the redes ignation of Cove. ani Mountain forest areas, H¢ also states that he has lost'all confi dence in district'staff. Go ure! Hopefully a retirement in order. oe Then we have Coun Janice Harris, our. environ mentalist, with both, ‘ear: tuned to every special interes group around. A Statements by. council” members meant to incite and organize protest are unaccept- able. aon It is time for Dave, Lisa and the rest of ‘the - East Seymour gang to get their col- lective heads our of the:sand and realize ‘that: the “North Vancouver District population will increase tremendou over the next 20 years. < * Surely it is logical and not unreasonable, in order to keep our per capita tax under. coi trol and establish 'a population. growth enough: to warrant rapid transit and a third cross- ing, that 50% ‘of: our: fully developed population ‘density. will be located-on 50% of our 2: °F district property. That is’ east of the Seymour River. aS D. Darlington North Vancouver ee ee eee ee ee ee