6 -— Wednesday, November 10, 1993 —- Nerth Shore News NEWS VIEWPOINT Overhaul act {HE “YOUNG. Offenders Act is in . “desperate need of an overhaul. : . And North Shore residents have “the: Gjiportunity to: guide legislators in _ changing the.act for the betterment of their , somnmmunity ‘aud their children. * At this point, the act, which was passed. "in. 1984, is doing more to protect the hides ‘of budding career criminals than it is in’ “protecting society from the violence that ~has permeated ithe psyche of much of our ‘youth through: its glorification and repeti- tion in television, rock videos and movies. = In its effort to protect the young from “the imore serious consequences of poor “judgment and inexperience, the act thas provided 2- convenient shield for young » thugs whio have no respect for the law and no serise. of personal responsibility. , Accountability: for actions has -been “egislated away. But perhaps worst of all, anonymity is entrenched. No matter the crime, the identity of the young offender is barred from exposure in the press and elsewhere. _ And it is ‘the fear of publicity, coupied with the fear of punishment, that is one of the major deterrents to crime. Right now, the Young Offenders Act of- fers neither. But the North Vancouver Family . Court and Youth Justice Commiiiee is currently conducting a local survey aimed at making changes to the act. Surveys will be available this Saturday at Lynn Valley Centre, 1199 Lynn Valley Rd. If you have concerns about the act and what it needs, call 985-7761, local 231, and push for.a Young Offenders Act that will protect society from young criminals and young criminals from themselves. TETTER OF? 7 DAY ~ Rethinking lies told to me by my father’ Dear Editor; “We're lucky in this community to have someone like Doug Collins to..keep things in their. proper . perspective. someone else, remember 1939. then the war had to be against though | which ~ evil-colored horde was invading Europe in then the media was controlled by the pinko-liberal-Jewish pro- paganda machine. Maybe in his next column Col- tins will tell me just wao my fa- can’t It came as a great revelation to me to find out from Collins’ col- umn of Nov. 3 that the Secoad World War was a race war. 1 was raised on the lie that the war was against. Nazi Germany — a bunch -; of white guys with thick accents and a superior race philosophy. But I guess if Collins says so [t really makes me angry now when I think of the lies told to me by my father, a veteran of the Second World War wounded in Europe, and all those American and British war movies that show the war in Europe against white guys just like us. It just shows you that even back ther and all the other young men and women, blacks, natives, Ori- entals and Indians who served in Europe were fighting against so J can explain the meaning of Nov. 11 to my son. Blaine Coombes North Vancouver CAN GRACE McCarthy repeat her ‘‘finest hour’’ after a lapse of 20 years? This is the question B.C. free enterprisers everywhere are asking after her election Saturday as Social Credit’s new leader. Her ‘‘finest hour’? — you twenty-somethings! — came after Dave Barrett’s NDP defeated the Socreds at the 1972 election. In the next three years, almost single-handedly, Grace rebuilt the party from 5,000 members to 70,000 members —- to give it 16 more years in power. The memory of that miracle helped her, at age 66, to scramble to victory (albeit none too easily) over Graham Bruce, candidate of youth and radical change. Her final 7,790 votes to Bruce’s 6,245 suggests that old splits within the party are not yet fully healed. But if age and party divisions appear io be negative, Grace has also much going for her. i She was the earliest to split =“ completely from Vander Zalm and dissociate herself froni his follies. She is a consurunate politician and skilled motivator, with her own large and loyal! organization. And her physical energy remains boundless. / Bruce was smart enough to call for her victory to be unanimous. If Grace is smart.enough to use Bruce — with his appeal to youth -— as her close lieutenant, while - - grooming him for eventual lead- ership, her’second “finest hour’’ could be. within her grasp once more. eon GOODBYE MR. NICE GUY! Within hours of being sworn in last week Prime Minister Chretien "gave B.C. the finger thrice in rapid succession. First, B.C.’s single seat in the ° 23-member cabinet, with its 15 ministers from Ontario and Quebec. B.C. is thereby reduced to the status of Newfoundland, which has one-sixth of our popu- jation — while Alberta, with only three-quarters of our population, gets two seats. Moreover, even B.C.’s solitary minister, David Anderson, has been fobbed off with the un- popular and relatively junior Na~ tional Revenue portfolio — that of Canada’s chief tax man. Second, Chretien canned the expected appointment of John Fraser, former Speaker of the Commons, as B.C.’s next Lieutenant-Governor. With a long and impeccable parliamentary record, and highly popular in B.C., his home pro- vince, Fraser is widely believed to have lost out to some as yet un- HITHER AND YON named Liberal hack. . Finally, Chretien’s instant cancellation of the $4.8 billion. EH-101 helicopter contract has. «.’ lost $100 million worth of Euro- pean contracts for Richmond’s Canadian Aircraft Products — putting up to 180 jobs at risk -- ° and grounded a planned new $20 million plant at Matsqui for GE, Aircraft Engines Canada. - So much for ‘‘needing the West’ and job creation Chre- - tien-style if you don’t vote the right way! oee SCRATCHPAD: Register im- » mediately (926-3266) if you’re in- terested in Sherry Martin’s two. workshops Saturday, Nov: 13,. Klee Wyck, 200 Keith West Van — “Creating Rituals for Change’’ - (9a.m. to noon) and/or ‘Getting to Know Your Subconscious’. (2-5 p.n,). ... Fundraising Craft Fair at.West Van senior secondary. - school, 1750 Mathers, opens 5-9 ‘p.m. Friday, Nov. 12, and con- tinues 10 a.m. to 4 p.m: Saturday, Nov. 13. ....Also on Saturday’ drop by St. David's, Upper, Levels - and Taylor Way, for the North. Shore Chorus Giant Fall Garage. ’ Sale from 10 a.m, to 3 p.m... And many happy returns of ; tomorrow, Nov. I, to North Van City Coun. Stella Jo Dean, WRIGHT OR WRONG: Two eyewitness accounts of an auto accident will make you start to wonder about history. Publisher . .. Peter Speck Managing Editor Timothy Renshaw Associate Editor. ... Noel Wright Sales & Marketing Director Linda Stewart Comptroller Doug Foot North Shore News, founded in 1969 as. an independent suburban sewspaper and qualified under Schedute 111, Paragraph ill of the Excise Tax Act, is published ‘each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Press Lic. and distributed to every door on the North Shore, Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement No, 0087238. Mailing rates available on request. Submissions are welcome but We cannot accept responsibility tor unsolicited material including manuscripts and pictures which should be accompanied by a stampeg, sell- addressed envelope, Display Advertising 980-0511 Distribution 986-1337 G9 & Real Estate Advertising 985-6982 Subscriptions 986-1337 RAU® ths newspaper Classified Advertising 986-6222 Fax 985-3227 contains Newsroom 985-2131 Administration 985-2131 tecycled fibre MEMBER - Norn Shore managed LA EVAN oe ye ereiony 8 1129 Lonsdale Avenue, SDA DIVISION North Vancouver, B.C. —— V7M 2H4 61,582 (average circulation, Wednesday. Friday & Sunday) Entire contents © 1993 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved. vemcouves Aeee naughty GRACE MCCARTHY... still going for her, . JEAN CHRETIEN... B.C. slapped down.